Tradition's Finest Podcast

Welcome Back to the Tradition’s Finest Podcast!
Episode 152 - The "Whatchoo Talkin' 'bout [Patrick] Willis" Episode includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:
- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: Week 3 Review & Recap: In this week's opening segment, JD & Spencer discuss, review and provide direct insight into as well as a detailed analysis for a few of the most notable college football games from the Week 3 slate, including the following list of games:No.22 Houston at No.13 Texas Tech"The Craziest Ending:" NC State at VanderbiltNo.10 Alabama vs. Florida StateNo.20 Missouri vs. TroyNo.9 Texas A&M vs. KentuckyNo.16 SMU at No.23 LouisvilleDuke's Mayo Classic: No.25 Virginia vs. West VirginiaFlorida at AuburnNo.7 LSU at No.8 Ole Miss**Be Sure to Tune In for a More In-Depth Review. . .
NCAA College Football Week 4 Preview: Picks & Predictions: In this particular segment, JD & Spencer each provide their individual/independent predictions for each of the marquee college football matchups from the Week 4 slate of games: 
No.1 Texas (-5.5) at No.14 Tennessee               O/U55.5No.4 Ole Miss at No.21 Florida (-3.5)              O/U60.5        No.2 Georgia (-14) vs. Oklahoma                O/U43.5No.17 Iowa at No.18 Michigan (-5.5)             O/U38.5No.8 Alabama (-12.5) vs. South Carolina            O/U54.5No.23 Texas A&M at No.10 LSU (-8.5)                O/U52.5No.20 Oregon (-3) at No.12 USC               O/U62.5No.19 Missouri at No.24 Mississippi State (-6.5)     O/U58.5Vanderbilt vs. Auburn (-9.5)                     O/U55.5Boise State (-7) at Western Michigan              O/U48.5

- NFL - - NFL Regular Season Week 2 Recap: Week 2 of the 2026 NFL regular season was defined by a surge of high-profile QB injuries and a sharp drop in overall offensive explosiveness: Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams suffered a right hamstring injury during the game against the Minnesota Vikings and had to be carted off the field — he is considered "week-to-week" with the right hamstring injury, however Bears HC Ben Johnson would not rule Williams out for next Monday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles even though he does not expect the third-year QB to practice at all this week; Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow that looked very concerning - even so that NFL commentator/former NFL QB Tom Brady shouted an expletive on live TV - in the 2nd QTR of the team's loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and is expected to miss approximately 2-3 weeks; New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart exited Monday Night Football early against the Los Angeles Rams with a concerning knee injury, and per Giants HC John Harbaugh on Tuesday evening, Dart will undergo a season-ending surgery - - After a historic Week 1 where 15 teams scored 26 or more points, that number fell to under double-digits in Week 2 as defenses adjusted and tackled much better - - High penalty counts (such as the 27 combined penalties committed between the Packers and Jets) and low third-down conversion rates plagued multiple teams — In this week's NFL segment, JD & Spencer dive into a discussion of the most notable NFL games from across the Week 2 slate, including those listed below: 
New Orleans Saints at Baltimore RavensMinnesota Vikings at Chicago BearsWashington Commanders at Dallas CowboysIndianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
- "A Guinness World Record Kick:" Former NFL kicker Adam Vinatieri isn't a stranger to snowy conditions. . .but in the Swiss Alps? — This was a first for the Pro Football Hall of Fame kicker this week as he set a Guinness World Record: On Tuesday, the 53-year-old Vinatieri set the record for kicking the highest FG in the world at 11,332 feet above sea level at Jungfraujoch, also known as the "Top of Europe." - - The conditions were a little more difficult than what he experienced at Foxboro Stadium during the 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff Game against Al Davis's Oakland Raiders when he kicked a 45-yard FG to send the New England Patriots to the AFC Championship Game: The world record attempt was part of the Patriots' promotion for their upcoming Nov. 15 game set to occur in Munich, Germany, against the Detroit Lions - as the team hold market rights in the DACH region of Germany, Austria and Switzerland - - Vinatieri played 24 seasons in the NFL with the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts: **NOTE: He is the NFL's all-time leading scorer (2,673 points) and is the league record holder for FGs made (599), playoff points (238) and successful OT FGs (12) — A three-time first-team All-Pro, Vinatieri won three (3) Super Bowls with the Patriots and one more with the Colts: In Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII, it was his foot that kicked the Patriots to championships in the final seconds - as his on-field success led to him being part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026. . ."A No Fun League:"  The NFL fined San Francisco 49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk $14,926 on Thursday for "engaging in offensive demonstrations," — According to the NFL, Juszczyk violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, when he did an "imitation of chugging beer" with just under eight (8) minutes left in the 3rd QTR of the Niners' 35-13 win against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 - - The fine notice added that further offenses could potentially result in an escalation of disciplinary action, up to and including suspension - - Juszczyk has already appealed the fine, he told ESPN's Adam Schefter: Juszczyk, who goes by the nickname "Juice" has performed the celebration for years and has, in the past, acknowledged the celebratory gesture is in reference to him drinking his "juice" following an explosive play — He has never been fined previously for the celebration and told Schefter via text that, "I don't even drink beer." [which I have a VERY difficult time believing that this man does not drink the "water of the Gods."]. . .Q: What are your thoughts on San Francisco 49ers FB Kyle "Juice" Juszczyk being fined $14k by the NFL for performing his usual TD celebration on Sunday against the Dolphins?. . .

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Welcome Back to the Tradition’s Finest Podcast!
Episode 151 - The [Abbreviated] "For Welles" Episode includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:
- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: Week 2 Review & Analysis: In this week's opening segment, JD & Spencer discuss, review and provide direct insight as well as a detailed analysis for a few of the most notable college football games from the Week 2 slate . . .**Be Sure to Tune In for a More In-Depth Review. . .

NCAA College Football Week 3 Preview: Picks & Predictions: In this particular segment, JD & Spencer each provide their individual/independentredictions for each of the marquee college football matchups from the Week 3 slate of games
No.10 Alabama (-20.5) vs. Florida State       O/U49.5 No.22 Houston at No.13 Texas Tech (-7.5)        O/U52.5        No.9 Texas A&M (-16.5) vs Kentucky    O/U49.5No.16 SMU at No.23 Louisville (-1.5)    O/U59.5"The Lane Change Game:" No.7 LSU (-3) at No.8 Ole Miss  O/U58.5"Duke's Mayo Classic:" No.25 Virginia (-10) vs. West Virginia O/U53.5South Carolina (-3.5) vs. Mississippi State  O/U58.5Florida (-2.5) vs. Auburn               O/U52.5

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Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast!

Episode 150 - The "A Look Back" Episode includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: Week 1 Review & Analysis: In this week's opening segment, JD & Spencer discuss, review and provide direct insight as well as a detailed analysis for a few of the most notable college football games from Week 1, including such games/topics as the following: Colorado vs. Georgia Tech; No.13 Alabama vs. East Carolina; Aflac Kickoff: Baylor vs. Auburn; No.2 Oregon vs. Boise State; The controversy surrounding the No.16 Michigan vs. Western Michigan matchup; No.11 LSU vs. Clemson; and finally, the Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff between No.9 Ole Miss and No.24 Louisville. . .**Be Sure to Tune In for a More In-Depth Review. . .

NCAA College Football Week 2 Preview: Picks & Predictions: In this particular segment, JD & Spencer each provide their individual/independent predictions for each of the marquee college football matchups from the Week 2 slate of games:

"Border War:" No.23 Missouri (-5.5) at Kansas                   O/U50.5

No.11 Oklahoma (-5.5) at Michigan                           O/U43.5

No.10 Texas A&M (-14.5) vs. Arizona State                      O/U50.5

No.14 BYU (-7.5) vs. Arizona                                 O/U47.5

No.18 Tennessee (-12.5) at Georgia Tech                     O/U55.5

No.1 Ohio State at No.4 Texas (-1.5)                        O/U48.5

No.21 Iowa (-14) vs. Iowa State                            O/U53.5

No.12 Alabama (-10.5) at Kentucky                           O/U49.5

Boise State (-8.5) vs. Memphis                               O/U54.5

- NFL - - DT Aaron Donald did not travel to Melbourne, Australia, to play in the Los Angeles Rams' 2026 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, HC Sean McVay said Tuesday - - McVay said he didn't want to "put any sort of expectations" on when Donald will play, but that the DT will be "a big part" of the team when's he ready to go - as McVay has been clear since Donald came out of retirement that the Rams would not rush him back on the field: Donald, who initially retired in March 2024, came out of retirement on Aug. 30 - as he took part in individual drills that day but did not do 11-on-11 until Sept.6. . .

- NBA - - The Los Angeles Lakers will honor legendary coach Phil Jackson - who won five (5) of his unprecedented 11 NBA coaching titles in L.A. - with a statue next season, the team announced Tuesday - - The statue will be unveiled April 9, 2027, before the Lakers' game against the Minnesota Timberwolves - - Jackson, 80, coached the Lakers for 11 seasons across two stints (1999-2004, 2005-11), winning three (3) championships running his patented triangle offense through Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal as the team's primary stars and two more with Bryant and Pau Gasol as L.A.'s lynchpins - - **NOTE: Jackson will be the ninth member of the Lakers organization with a statue at Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Pat Riley, Jerry West, O'Neal and Bryant (who has two). . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers' announcement that they will honor legendary coach Phil Jackson with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena next season?. . .

- Miscellaneous - - Golf: LIV Golf and its related entities voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey on Tuesday, according to court records - - The league indicated it had between $100 million and $500 million in assets and $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities: Jon Rahm ($7.5 million), Bryson DeChambeau ($5.7 million), Dustin Johnson ($5.5 million), Cameron Smith ($4.8 million), Tyrrell Hatton ($3.4 million) and Brooks Koepka ($1.7 million) are among the league's creditors with the 30 largest unsecured claims, according to court records - as those totals reflect the past-due payments owed to the golfers but not what is owed to them beyond the bankruptcy filing date - - In a statement, LIV Golf said that it entered a restructuring support agreement with BC Partners Advisors and that it had voluntarily entered a court-supervised restructuring process under Chapter 11 - as the league said it plans to return to competition in 2027 and is expected to be majority-owened by its players. . .Q: Is this officially the end for LIV Golf?. . .

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Episode 149 - The [Abbreviated] "FCS Stunner" Episode includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: Week 0 Review & Analysis: In this week's opening segment, JD & Spencer discuss, review and provide direct insight as well as a detailed analysis for a few of the most notable college football games from Week 0, including such games/topics as the following: The Aer Lingus College Football Classic matchup between TCU & North Carolina, the all-ACC clash between the Virginia Cavaliers & NC State Wolfpack, the North Dakota State Bisons' FBS debut vs. Jacksonville State, Florida State vs. New Mexico State, the instant classic between Stanford & Hawaii, and finally, the impressive performance of West Florida (FCS) transfer QB Marcus Stokes' in the Memphis Tigers' season-opening win over Dan Mullen's UNLV Runnin' Rebels. . .**Be Sure to Tune In for a More In-Depth Review. . .

NCAA College Football Week 1 Preview: Picks & Predictions: In this particular segment, JD & Spencer each provide their individual/independent predictions for each of the marquee college football matchups from the Week 1 slate of games:

No.7 Miami (-24.5) at Stanford                                                O/U47.5

No.14 USC (-23.5) vs. Fresno State                                             O/U51.5

No.2 Oregon (-24.5) vs. Boise State                                            O/U51.5

No.18 Penn State (-24.5) vs. Marshall                                           O/U54.5

No.10 LSU (-10.5) vs. Clemson                                                O/U51.5

No.13 Alabama (-28.5) vs. East Carolina                                      O/U53.5

Aflac Kickoff: Auburn (-7) vs. Baylor                                         O/U59.5

UCLA (-1.5) at Cal                                                         O/U53.5

Apple Cup: No.17 Washington (-23.5) vs. Washington State                        O/U50.5

Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff: No.9 Ole Miss (-6.5) vs. No.24 Louisville            O/U55.5

No.4 Notre Dame (-20.5) vs. Wisconsin [Game played at Lambeau Field]             O/U47.5

No.19 SMU (-2.5) at Florida State                                                O/U53.5

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Episode 148 - The "Mooooooose" Episode includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: The Big Ten Conference has passed a rule that stops players returning from the NFL from playing for one of its schools: Any player who has declared for the NFL draft and did not withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster or signed a contract with a pro league cannot be on a Big Ten roster, the league announced Tuesday in a statement: The Big Ten's ADs unanimously approved the rule, which then received unanimous approval later Tuesday from the conference's faculty athletic representatives, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel — **NOTE: Any teams in violation of the rule would be subject to its HC being suspended for 50% of its remaining games plus an undisclosed fine, the Big Ten confirmed - - The Big Ten's ruling comes in the wake of two NFL players - Cleveland Browns TE Dae'Quan Wright and the New Orleans Saints' Zxavian Harris - parting with their respective teams to join Lane Kiffin's roster at LSU — Wright and Harris, who both played for Kiffin at Ole Miss, are returning to college football thanks to a court order that is creating havoc throughout the NCAA by allowing athletes an unexpected fifth year of eligibility - - **NOTE: The SEC Conference - as well as the Big 12 and ACC Conference(s) - also approved a similar ban later this week on players who have declared or appeared on a professional league roster — The NCAA said in a statement that court rulings that grant athletes a fifth-year of eligibility are having a "destabilizing effect" on college sports, meanwhile, LSU HC Lane Kiffin doubled down, defending the program's unprecedented moves on Monday, saying players are "either going to play for you or they're going to play for someone else around the country." . . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Big Ten's unanimous approval of the rule barring NFL players from returning to college competition?. .Hours after the Big Ten passed the rule stopping players returning from the NFL from playing for one of its' programs, the SEC followed suit - - At the conclusion of meetings with league presidents, chancellors and ADs Tuesday, the Conference announced a strict policy on the matter, releasing details across its social media channels - as sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel that the vote to implement the policy was 16-0: With a step-by-step explanation, the SEC announced that its' institutions are "not permitted to have an athlete on its roster who has: (1) Previously declared for the NFL, NBA, or WNBA draft, and did not appropriately withdraw; (2) Signed a contract with an NFL (or other professional football league), NBA/G-League, or WNBA (or affiliate) team, or. . .(3) Been listed on an NFL (or other professional football league), NBA/G-League, or WNBA (or affiliate) roster." -- The announcement concluded with annotation that commissioner Greg Sankey "is authorized to enforce this expectation with penalties against member institutions." - - An SEC spokesperson later told ESPN's Heather Dinich that penalties are "to be announced." - - But where the Big Ten earlier in the day announced its policy for football, saying in its statement that any player who has declared for the NFL draft and didn't withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster or signed a contract with a pro league may not be on a Big Ten roster, the SEC added pro basketball, including the NBA and the WNBA, to its policy -- The SEC and Big Ten do not appear to be along in these beliefs: The Big 12 as well as the ACC Conference(s) also held meetings that resulted in a similar conclusion regarding the return of NFL players to the collegiate level - - Then, on Thursday, a Dallas judge signed an order that prohibits the NCAA, the SEC and its commissioner Greg Sankey from stopping a group of athletes - three (3) of whom are currently listed on NFL rosters - from returning to college sports for one more season of play. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the state of college football with the legitimate possibility that players who were previously on NFL rosters receiving a fifth year of college eligibility?. . ."Should They Have Gone to Jared?:" Vanderbilt senior Blaze Berlowitz will be the starting QB in the Commodores' Week 1 matchup with Austin Peay, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Tuesday: The move follows an extended position battle across spring and fall camp between Berlowitz and five-star freshman Jared Curtis, who is the highest-rated signee in program history and is also expected to play in Vanderbilt's Sept. 5 season opener, the first of three (3) nonconference games on the Commodores' schedule, which also includes September visits from Delaware and NC State - - Berlowitz, a dual-threat passer from Cushing, Oklahoma, is in his third season at Vanderbilt - as he began his career at New Mexico State before following eventual Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia and OC Tim Beck to the Commodores before the 2024 season - - While Berlowitz has been named the Commodores' starter for Week 1, the occasion should also be the stage of Curtis' college debut: The 6-foot-3, 230-pound QB from Nashville signed late last fall as ESPN's No.1 pocket passer and No.12 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle, and arrived in January as the most coveted recruit in school history. . .Q: What are your thoughts on Vanderbilt's decision to tab Blaze Berlowitz as the Commodores' starting QB for the 2026-27 season? Are you somewhat surprised that Berlowitz got the nod over five-star freshman QB Jared Curtis?. . ."One Man, One Drive:" Marty Whims II's phone rang Tuesday - and on the other end of the call was University of Akron AD Andrew Goodrich offering Whims the opportunity of a lifetime on the football team's sideline: When Akron hosts Robert Morris for its Sept. 12 home opener, the Zips plan to turn offensive playcalling duties over - somewhat - to the Executive from a Cleveland-based real estate firm - - Weeks after the school launched its' viral "Offensive Coordinator of the Game" promotion, Akron announced Whims as the contest winner, thrusting the alumnus and longtime season-ticket holder into the role of assisting Zips HC Joe Moorhead script plays during the opening offensive series of the Week 2 matchup: "It's super cool," Whims said in a video released by Akron Football's social media account. "My boss shared it on LinkedIn, so business contacts are reaching out, friends, family. I mean, everybody's just super excited about it, wishing me good luck. It's been awesome." -- An alumnus of Akron's College of Business and the chief financial officer at Stark Enterprises, Whims has held Zips season tickets since at least 2009 - - Akron generated national attention earlier this month when the school announced the raffle offering season-ticket holders the chance to call plays alongside Moorhead: The promotion not only generated buzz but also reportedly produced record-setting sales of season tickets and stadium suites -- According to Akron, the Zips have fully sold out their inventory of 17 suites at InfoCision Stadium for the first time since it opened in 2009 - - Such an uptick in revenue was at least part of the campaign's mission - as the senior deputy AD at Akron, Matt Pottorff, told The Beacon Journal that the school intends to allocate 70% of all ticket sales across all sports towards the Zips' NIL and revenue-share programs - - Naturally, the opportunity to call plays for an FBS football team attracted interest well beyond NE Ohio, as the Zips' initial social media post announcing the contest on Aug. 4, has generated more than 23 million views as of Tuesday evening, and the school has seen ticket purchases from coast to coast: Among Akron's most prominent new season-ticket holders is ESPN's Pat McAfee. .So, how did the promotion work?: According to Akron, all season-ticket holders were automatically entered into a random drawing - and on Aug. 19, the school announced nine (9) finalists spanning five (5) states, a group that included longtime local fans such as Whims, seemingly unaffiliated newcomers based in Nebraska, New York, New Jersey and Texas, as well as pair of prominent social media figures: Dan "Big Cat" Katz of Barstool Sports and YouTube streamer James Bordeaux, whose channel centered on the EA Sports College Football video game, which has nearly 600k subscribers - - Whims will also be helping Moorhead break in a new QB: Transfer Reese Poffenbarger, who joined the Zips this offseason after stops at Old Dominion, Albany, Miami and North Texas, is set to lead the program's offense this fall -- Whims will also be operating in seasoned company alongside Moorhead, the veteran playcaller who stewarded an Akron offense that ranked fifth in the MAC Conference in yards per game (353.5) last season. . .Q: In the first offensive drive for the Akron Zips in their season opener versus Robert Morris, what set of plays do you think Marty Whims II calls on the opening drive?. . .**Name That Starting QB: In this next segment, JD & Spencer discuss and analyze the starting QB(s) that have been recently announced across the college football landscape, including the following programs: Alabama, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Florida. . .

- Aer Lingus College Football Classic [Dublin, Ireland]: North Carolina vs. TCU (-7.5) O/U47.5

- No.14 USC (-38.5) vs. San Jose State O/U60.5

- NC State vs. Virginia (-5.5) O/U53.5

- Jacksonville State vs. North Dakota State (-7) O/U46.5

- Sacramento State vs. Eastern Michigan (-10) O/U52.5

- Hawaii vs. Stanford (-4) O/U48.5

- New Mexico State vs. Florida State (-30.5) O/U52.5

- Memphis vs. UNLV (-4.5) O/U56.5

- NFL - - "An NFL Study:" At least one in four (4) NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had the degenerative brain disease known as CTE, a new study has revealed: The study, published Tuesday by the British Medical Journal, focused on how common chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) might be among NFL players -- **NOTE: What it found is that of the 878 players who appeared in at least one NFL game and died in that six-year period, at least 25% had CTE - - CTE can only be diagnosed after death, so most research has depended on brains donated by players or their families - as this study drew on samples donated between 2008 and 2021, 93% of which had been diagnosed with CTE, then narrowed the sample based on donations were highest and factored in demographic data and information from death certificates: The estimate of 25% is on the "low end," said Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, the study's lead author - as the study found that the maximum possible prevalence of CTE was around 97%, but the true rate "is somewhere in the middle." Daneshvar said - - The study also looked at the link between CTE and dementia, finding that >90% of samples of the most advanced stage of CTE, Stage 4, were also diagnosed with dementia -- Daneshvar noted that since the biggest predictor of CTE is the cumulative force of hits to the head, that risk can be mitigated by things such as eliminating hits during practices and having children not play tackle football. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the results/findings of this particular research study?. . ."The San Francisco $149ers?:" San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pleaded no contest to a pair of misdemeanor charges Monday after being arrested in Ohio on suspicion of engaging in prostitution -- According to Columbiana County (Ohio) court records obtained by ESPN, York allegedly responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and "arranged to have sexual activity with the female in exchange for $140." - - York was arrested upon arriving at the meeting location with the cell phone used to arrange the meeting, according to the records: An arrest report filed by the East Palestine Police Department notes York was arrested Sunday at 9:35 a.m. at the Wheat Mill Mobile Home Community - as East Palestine police assisted the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force in York's arrest, per the report - - Authorities initially charged York with misdemeanor counts of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools - but the former charge was amended to misdemeanor disorderly conduct as part of a plea agreement resolving the case - - The NFL said in a statement that the league is "aware of the matter which will be reviewed under the personal conduct policy." - - Court records say the local prosecutor filed a plea arrangement Monday morning as York pleaded no contest and paid $1,150 in fines - as York was also sentenced to one day in jail for each charge, with one day already considered to be served - - Despite the reports of infidelity, York actually filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle, in May, according to documents filed in Santa Clara County (California) Superior Court - - York has been the majority owner of the Niners since 2024 but has been the team's chief executive officer since 2008 - and he is originally from Youngstown, Ohio: **NOTE: The Niners have made the Super Bowl three (3) times under York's leadership, losing in the 2012 season under HC Jim Harbaugh and in the 2019 and 2013 seasons under Kyle Shanahan & GM John Lynch -- York also oversaw the building of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara - as the team moved from San Francisco to the new stadium in 2014: **NOTE: The stadium has hosted two Super Bowls, a World Cup and a College Football Playoff title game. . .Deshaun Watson will open the NFL regular season as the Cleveland Browns' starting QB, per HC Todd Monken who made the announcement on Monday - - And in his first news conference as the Browns' starter, Watson apologized for his postgame comments Saturday in which he called Browns' fans "disrespectful" for booing him - - Watson, 30, won a competition with second-year player Shedeur Sanders that began in the offseason workout program and stretched into the first two preseason games - and as of now, Sanders will officially be Watson's backup - - Monken said the decision to start Watson will not be a "week-to-week" proposition - as the Browns face the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road in Week 1: The decision comes despite Watson's struggles in the second preseason game Saturday, during which he completed 5-of-12 for 35 yards and one INT over four (4) second-half drives - as the seats at Huntington Bank Field were half full, but the boos were pronounced when Watson took the field at the beginning of the second half and as he struggled -- On Monday, Watson opened his news conference with a two-minute statement in which he apologized for his postgame comments: "I think my emotions got the best of me. My comments wasn't intending to go at any of the fans around in the city, because there's been a lot of great fans that have been supporting me. And I know the frustration. This organization has put a lot of investment in coming to get me back in 2022, and things haven't been going the right direction that we thought it was. A lot of injuries, a lot of time off, and not putting the best football and my foot forward. I understand the frustration. I understand everything that kind of goes into that. And moving forward, I just want to focus on football, making sure that I'm putting the best product out there, having the best ability, because I thrive off the energy. I thrive off the energy of the fans. I thrive off the energy of the community. I thrive off all that stuff." - - The Browns' first two games of the 2026 regular season are on the road - at Jacksonville and then at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - before the team returns home to face the Carolina Panthers in Week 3 - - Watson has been a polarizing figure in Cleveland since the Browns traded three (3) first-round picks to the Houston Texans to acquire him in March 2022 and gave him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions, however, two Texas grand juries declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson a week prior to his trade to Cleveland, but he served an 11-game suspension to begin his tenure with the Browns - as he also paid a $5 million fine and completed a treatment program after the NFL and NFL Players Association reached a settlement in August 2022 on his disciplinary matter: Since joining the Browns, Watson has failed to recapture the Pro Bowl form he showcased in Houston, posting a 33.1 QBR that would rank last if he had enough starts to qualify -- **NOTE: Watson has a 9-10 record as the Browns' starting QB, and his past two seasons as the starter have ended due to injury: In 2023, Watson underwent season-ending surgery following a displaced fracture to the glenoid muscle in his right throwing shoulder - as the injury forced Watson to miss the final nine (9) games of that season, including the team's AFC wild-card loss to the Texans -- Watson did not play in the 2025 season after undergoing two surgeries to address a torn right Achilles tendon he sustained in October 2024 - - The Browns also have second-year QB Dillon Gabriel and 2026 sixth-round pick Taylen Green (Arkansas) on the roster - as Monken elected to not play his starters in Thursday's preseason finale at home against the New England Patriots. . ."An Axing of the Pro Bowl:" The NFL is eliminating the Pro Bowl Games, instead shifting the focus to celebrating the honor of being a Pro Bowl selection -- **NOTE: Beginning with the 2026 season, 88 players will be named to the Pro Bowl class in late December, with no replacement selections - - While no AFC vs. NFC game will be held, players selected as Pro Bowlers will be invited to attend an in-person celebration in Los Angeles during the traditional weekend the Pro Bowl Games took place -- **NOTE: The NFL has played a traditional Pro Bowl game in some fashion since 1938 - excluding in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic - replacing the traditional tackle football game with the reimagined Pro Bowl Games, featuring dodgeball, throwing competitions and skills challenges & culminating in a flag football game in 2023. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the NFL's decision to eliminate the Pro Bowl Games?. . .

- WNBA & NBA - - "BANNED:" The Chicago Sky have banned Enes Kanter Freedom from Wintrust Arena after the former NBA player was removed from the building by security Sunday - - Kanter Freedom was involved in a verbal altercation with Sky PG Natasha Cloud late in the 3rd QTR of a loss against the Indiana Fever - as he was sitting courtside in a black T-shirt that read: "WOMAN noun. Adult human female." -- When a timeout was called, Cloud walked toward Kanter Freedom and shouted at him - meanwhile, he was standing with his arms outstretched and took a few steps toward the court before security cut him off and directed him to leave - - Kanter Freedom has inserted himself in the political realm in recent years and has been vocal in the national debate sparked by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham's comments regarding transgender athletes -- He and former NBA player Royce White recently declared themselves women, and thus eligible to play in the WNBA - however, multiple sources told ESPN that the two are not eligible to play in the league -- After being removed, Kanter Freedom posted the following statement on social media: "I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!". . .Klay Thompson has signed a deal with the Miami Heat, who waited patiently for weeks to see if they would get the chance to add the sharpshooter to their reworked roster -- Thompson - who is No.4 on the NBA's all-time 3-pointers made list - cleared waivers with the Dallas Mavericks Sunday afternoon and wasted little time finalizing a two-year deal with Miami: The contract, first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania last Friday, is reportedly for $13 million and includes a player option in the second season, sources said - - Thompson, a 36-year-old about to enter his 14th NBA season, is an ideal fit for a Heat team that desperately needed to add a solid shooter to surround the newly acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo and incumbent center Bam Adebayo -- **NOTE: Thompson is a career 41% shooter from beyond the arc, and last season marked the 11th time that he's made more than 200 3-pointers in a season - and for further context, in the history of the NBA franchise, they have had a player make 200 3s in a single year only seven (7) times - - **NOTE: Thompson, a five-time NBA All-Star, holds the league record with 14 made 3s in a game, has connected on at least 10 3s in a game nine (9) times and will enter this upcoming NBA season just 74 3-pointers behind former Heat sharpshooter, Ray Allen, for third place on the league's all-time list. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the overall fit of Klay Thompson in Miami alongside the "Greek Freak" & Bam Adebayo?. . .

- Tradition's Finest 2026 College Football Season Preview & Prediction Showcase Finale -- Awards & Preseason College Football Playoff Predictions: In the final week of the annual 'Tradition's Finest 2026 College Football Season Preview & Prediction Showcase,' JD & Spencer each provide their individual/independent predictions for a few of the 2026-27 College Football Awards; they also provide a preview of the 2026-27 College Football Playoff as well as their preseason picks for the 12-team bracket, with a bit of a fun twist: they cannot select the same team(s):

College football's biggest stars enter the 2026 season with a chance to take home some of the sport's most prestigious individual awards - and in this segment, JD & Spencer provide their predictions for the following individual awards for the upcoming 2026-27 NCAA College Football season: **Be Sure to Tune In for their Award/CFP Picks & Predictions! . . .

- Doak Walker Award [Best RB]: ______________________

- Biletnikoff Award [Best WR]: ________________________

- John Mackey Award [Best TE]: _______________________

- Jim Thorpe Award [Best DB]: _________________________

- Bednarik Award [Best Defensive Player]: ______________________

- Home Depot Coach of the Year Award [Best HC]: _____________________________

- Walter Camp Award [Player of the Year Award]: ______________________________

- Heisman Trophy [Most Outstanding Player]: ______________________________

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast!

Episode 147 - "The Tommy G Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: "A TRO Against the NCAA:" Former LSU EDGE Jack Pyburn is among the 16 players who were granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the NCAA on Thursday, returning for the 2026-27 college football season with a fifth year of eligibility: Pyburn is currently on the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp roster and recently posted two sacks in their most recent preseason game - - The list of players also includes former Ole Miss DL Xzavian Harris, Ole Miss safety Wydett Williams, Ole Miss TE Dae'Quan Wright, James Madison LB Trent Hendrick, Oregon State RB Anthony Hankerson, Notre Dame DL Junior Tuihalamaka, South Carolina safety DQ Smith and SMU RB TJ Harden - - Per the signed order in Louisiana, the 16 college football players will be allowed to enter the NCAA transfer portal - as the NCAA's rule of restitution and the ghost transfer rule are also enjoined: "The NCAA is ordered to open the transfer portal. . .for one week from entry of this order," the TRO states - - Players currently on NFL rosters have expressed an interest in being released from their NFL contracts, according to attorney Ryan Downton, and NFL teams that release them by September 1 would be allowed to join a college football roster under the TRO: **UPDATE: Per On3, former Seahawks RB TJ Harden, who played college ball at SMU and UCLA, announced his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Thursday afternoon. . .Q: What are your thoughts on these 16 former college football players, who are currently active on NFL rosters, being granted a TRO against the NCAA and a fifth year of eligibility? - - SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said allowing athletes who have signed professional contracts back into college sports “fuels disruption” and should not be allowed, according to an affidavit filed in a Louisiana courthouse last week: Sankey asked Judge Ronald Johnson in East Baton Rouge Parish court to uphold NCAA rules that prevent athletes from returning, saying the decision is “essential to the integrity of college sports.” He wrote that allowing pros back into NCAA competition would undermine the “fundamental principles” of college sports and unfairly harm high school students looking to join a college team as well as other teams that have followed the existing rules - - The affidavit was in response to a lawsuit filed by former St. John's men's basketball star LJ Ruis, the 2024-25 Big East Player of the Year - as he has since committed to LSU in hopes of playing one more season of college basketball - - The affidavit puts Sankey on the opposing end of a legal argument supported by a school in his conference. . .Q: Where do you stand on the principle and/or ruling allowing athletes who have signed professional contracts back into college sports?. .

- NBA - - “The Buss Has Left Town:” Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss is contesting her siblings' “united” vote to sell the remaining 17.8% of the Lakers, according to a letter from her lawyer that was obtained by ESPN - - The Buss family in a statement earlier Monday said they had voted to sell their remaining shares to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at the same $12.5 billion valuation that Mark Walter agreed to last week — They believed they had the right to sell based on a tag-along provision that had been included in the previous sale to Walter in June 2025 — Sources told ESPN that provision gave the family rights to tag along to any sale and valuation Walter secured for his shares - - Jeanie Buss was to remain the team's controlling owner through 2030, according to the agreement she made with Walter - - Iger told the California Post last week that he intended to honor that agreement with Buss, but added “if something changes, then it changes.” — Should the sale of the family's stake go through, Jeanie Buss would no longer have the needed ownership percentage to remain governor of the team's - as a spokesperson for Kushner and Iger declined to comment on the situation when reached by ESPN — In response to the Buss' family statement, Jeanie's lawyer Adam Streisand wrote to the five (5) siblings who voted to sell that a court had ruled in 2017 that no sale could be “effectuated without approval by the co-trustees, Jeanie, Janie and Joey Buss.” — Streisand also wrote that the “co-trustees are bound to vote to ensure that the minimum 15% ownership requirement is maintained in order to ensure that Jeanie Buss may remain Controlling Owner. Any attempt by the co-trustees to aid or abet the co-trustees as such, would constitute a breach of trust, a breach of fiduciary duty and be in contempt of court.” — Streisand demanded that the five (5) siblings “make clear that Jeanie Buss is the Controlling Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers” and “take no action on this supposed vote to sell the 17.8 percent stake.” - - The Buss family had ownership of the Lakers since Jerry Buss purchased the team from Jack Kent Cooke in May 1979 — Under the leadership of Buss and then his children after his death, the Lakers won 11 NBA championships - most recently in 2020 — **NOTE: The Lakers' 2,289 wins since the start of the 1979-80 season are the most of any franchise in that span - - More than a dozen different Hall of Famers played for the Lakers during the Buss' family's ownership, and multiple Hall of Fame coaches patrolled sidelines, first at the Great Western Forum, then at Crypto.com Arena [formerly the Staples Center], which opened in 1999. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Buss family voting to sell the remaining shares to Kushner & Iger? Do you think Jeanie Buss will be able to “veto” her siblings' final vote to sell the franchise?. . .

- NFL - - The New York Giants have signed free agent RB Najee Harris to a one-year deal, the team announced Tuesday - - Harris worked out for the Giants on Monday - as HC John Harbaugh liked what he saw and heard despite the veteran coming off a torn Achilles last year – Harris knows he's not quite in game shape but said he's “ready to get back” following last year's season-ending injury - - Harris, 28, played in just three (3) games last season for the Los Angeles Chargers and Jim Harbaugh, John's brother - as Harris rushed for just 61 yards on 15 carries prior to the injury – **NOTE: Harris had rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the previous four (4) seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers - and John Harbaugh, who coached the Baltimore Ravens for the previous 18 seasons, knows him well from their days in AFC North - - The addition of Harris comes after the Giants waived RB Dante Miller with an injury designation - as Miller hurt his groin in the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings and is expected to miss time - - In a corresponding move, the Giants released veteran WR JuJu Smith-Schuster - - Harris joins a backfield that has Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. at the top of the depth chart - - The Giants also have veteran Devin Singletary in the mix along with Eric Gray and undrafted rookie Damon Bankston - - Harris was a first-round pick (No. 24) in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama, and he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the overall fit of Najee Harris with the New York Giants?. . .The Texans' WR corps took a big hit Wednesday as wideout Jayden Higgins suffered a torn ACL, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport - - The season-ending injury occurred Tuesday during the Texans' joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders when the 2025 second-round pick ran a route in the end zone and fell awkwardly during red zone 11-on-11 drills — Higgins couldn't get back up immediately, but he eventually limped off on his own power - as HC DeMeco Ryans said after the practice that they were evaluating the severity of the injury — Higgins, who was off to a strong start to training camp, had 525 receiving yards and six (6) TDs during his rookie season - - Houston now will rely on the next batch of WRs led by Xavier Hutchinson, Tank Dell and Jaylin Noel: Hutchinson, a sixth-round pick in 2023, posted career highs last season with 35 receptions for 428 yards and three (3) TD - - Dell and Noel haven't practiced much throughout training camp as both work their way back from injuries: Dell is coming back from a serious knee injury from December 2024 that held him out all of 2025, and Noel, meanwhile, has dealt with a broken finger and hamstring tightness throughout camp. . .Q: Where does this leave the Texans following the loss of WR Jayden Higgins?. . .Former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl CB Trevon Diggs plans to sign a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday - - The move addresses one of Seattle's biggest question marks and offers Diggs a chance for a fresh start with the reigning Super Bowl champions after a tumultuous ending to his tenure in Dallas last season - - Per multiple reports, the Seahawks still to plan to sign CB Terrion Arnold, but with no word on when he will be available to play amid his ongoing legal case - as Diggs gives them more immediate help at the position – Meanwhile, Noah Igbinoghene and Nehemiah Pritchett are vying to replace Riq Woolen as the No.3 CB and rookie third-pick Julian Neal has been unable to join that battle because he has missed much of training camp with an undisclosed injury - - A second-round pick in 2020, Diggs was named first-team All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021 after setting a Cowboys record with 11 INTs - and he also made the Pro Bowl in 2022, then signed a five-year, $97 million contract extension before the 2023 season: But he has appeared in only 22 games over the past three (3) seasons while dealing with injuries to both knees: Diggs tore his left ACL in practice in 2023 and missed six (6) games in 2024 due to an injury to the same knee that required a chondral graft – Last season, he missed eight (8) games with a right knee injury and suffered a concussion during an accident at home, later saying it occurred while he was attempting to install a television mount - - According to ESPN's Todd Archer, the Cowboys took issue with Diggs' decision to rehab away from the team's facility in consecutive years - as Dallas enforced a $500,000 base salary de-escalator in 2025 after he did not take part in 84% of the team's voluntary offseason program, choosing instead to rehab in South Florida. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the overall fit of CB Trevon Diggs with the Seattle Seahawks?. . .

- MLB - - Cardinals OF Joshua Baez smashed the first pitch he saw in the majors about 450 feet then flashed a grin to the St. Louis dugout as he began his HR trot - - **NOTE: Baez, 23, became the first player to hit a HR in each of his first three (3) at-bats in the majors, leading St. Louis to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday – Called up from Triple-A Memphis before the game, Baez had 30 family members in attendance at Wrigley Field - as the traveling party, which included his mother, Yris, gathered on the field for photos afterward despite rain: “It's just unreal,” said Baez, the fourth-ranked prospect in the Cardinals' system and No.93 overall, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel. “To not only get a hit but three home runs? It's crazy.” - and he did it with flair too - - The first came on the first pitch he saw from Matthew Boyd and landed an estimated 449 feet away in the left-center bleachers, which was the third-longest HR in a player's MLB debut since ESPN began tracking HR distances in 2006 – **NOTE: Only Jason Heyward (476 feet) in 2010 and Aaron Judge (457 feet) in 2016 had longer shots – Baez's next at-bat ended with a solo shot down the left-field line, and the third, on his ensuing at-bat, went the opposite way, giving him five (5) RBIs - - Baez showed plenty of power in the minors this season - as when he was called up, he was leading Triple-A with 34 HRs, including four (4) multi-homer games – **NOTE: He is the ninth player to make his major league debut for the Cardinals this season. . .

- Miscellaneous - - “A Penn State White-Out:” A Long Island kid who grew up in a spacious $1.4 million Westbury manse was one of the alleged ringleaders of a lucrative cocaine ring run out of a pair of Penn State University frat houses, authorities said - - Agostino Abbatiello, aka “Pablo Plegescobar,” 24, surrendered to Pennsylvania prosecutors Tuesday morning to face charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and conspiracy after being busted for allegedly peddling drugs through the frats – The Nassau County native - who was at the “very top of the chain” in the crime ring, according to prosecutors - had failed to show up for a Monday arraignment and is now being held without bail – Abbatielo allegedly ran the ring along with Thomas Robinson, the son of prominent Pittsburgh attorney Paul Robinson, who was also implicated in the ring and hit with felony charges of concealing evidence – The elder Robinson, a former frat brother who was a member of Delta Sigma Phi and Phi Alpha Delta while in college and law school, is a managing partner with Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebenek & Eck – Both accused ringleaders graduated two years ago, but continued to deal even after leaving the frat house, according to prosecutors: Abbatiello was described as an accounting major on the dean's list with a “passion for numbers and financial storytelling,” according to now-deleted pages on the Penn State site - - Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson - of Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternities, respectively - were allegedly the main suppliers in the scheme, with Abbatiello frequently traveling to Philadelphia and New York to pick up large quantities of cocaine from suppliers between 2023 and 2024 - - When an undercover cop busted Robinson, the alleged dealer told authorities Abbatiello sold him batches of cocaine of up to one kilogram - well over two pounds - for as much as $22,000, a criminal complaint claims: Abbatiello allegedly distributed cocaine as recently as February 2026, according to the complaint - - Two other frat members have been charged with felony corrupt organizations, conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, and related offenses, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office said: **NOTE: More than a dozen Penn State fraternity bros were busted for running the ring that forced young pledges to cut and bag the drugs then sold to students, according to prosecutors - as the fraternities, Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon, allegedly coordinated with suppliers in New York and Philadelphia, trafficking in the cocaine and distributing it mainly to Penn State students - - When he learned law enforcement was interviewing individuals about Penn State drug dealing, he reportedly “begged them not to talk about his involvement.” - - Abbatiello's dad, Mario Abbatiello, told The New York Post Tuesday: “We have no comment. We have nothing to do with this. We have no comment.” - - A second Long Islander - Robert Zanolla, 24, of Manhasset - is also charged with felony conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility - - Also charged, with misdemeanors, are: Liam Smith, Michael Brogno, Kaden Howe, Connor Hurleigh, Seth Beardsley, Kyle Ridpath, Daniel Price, and Charles Wiseman - - Paul Robinson, Thomas' father, is charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension for taking steps to conceal evidence in the case, including a safe stuffed with cash and drugs and obstructing the investigation, federal prosecutors said - - Penn State has since suspended Delta Upsilon while it investigates the frat and said Sigma Chi is not recognized by the university and operates outside its supervision: “We are horrified by these serious allegations against current and former students,” said Andrea Dowhower, Penn State's VP for Student Affairs. “Criminal activity, including hazing, such as this has no place at our institution, and we will cooperate with law enforcement in any way we can. We will continue to enhance our efforts around health and safety and hazing educational efforts for all our organization.”. . .“The Death of A Sports Visionary:” Bill Rasmussen, whose vision and ambition fueled the 1979 launch of ESPN as the world's first 24-hour television network, died Tuesday at the age of 93 — Rasmussen died at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson's Disease - - With son Scott, Rasmussen conceived of the initial idea of ESPN - first, as solely a Connecticut venture, and then as a 24-hour national sports network - - It was a moment for risk-taking: In the late 1970s, not many people thought an around-the-clock cable sports network had any chance - but Bill Rasmussen, who had just been fired as communications director of the New England Whalers, was one of them - as he maxed out his credit card, and with his $9,000 advance, acquired valuable space on a communications satellite — Rasmussen knocked on doors, talking to all the major sports leagues, the top cable operators and an array of investors: He gained backing, and on Sept. 7, 1979, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network was born - as Bill & Scott Rasmussen co-founded ESPN with Bill serving as ESPN's first president and CEO - - Though Rasmussen left ESPN after a few years, he laid the groundwork for future growth: A meeting with the NFL did not bring immediate results, but a door was opened to what would eventually become “Monday Night Football” on ESPN — After leaving ESPN, Rasmussen contributed to a number of other media ventures and chronicled his experience in public speaking engagements - as he also wrote a book about his ESPN experience, “Sports Junkies Rejoice: The Birth of ESPN.”. . .“Tackling Fuel:” Tackling on the football field is normally permitted. . .unless the person doing the tackling comes screaming out of the stands and happens to not be wearing pads: A 16-year-old girl from Winchester, Tennessee [about an hour & a half SE of Nashville] is now facing charges after she ran out onto a football field in the middle of a game and tackled one of the players out on the field - - The contest between South Middle School and Cornersville Middle School was taking place at Franklin County High School, and shortly after South scored a TD, two players got into a fight on the field – This prompted a 16-year-old girl at the game to jump the fence and run out onto the gridiron: She targeted one of the middle schoolers that had been in the scuffle moments earlier, and tackled him to the ground - - The teenager managed to hit the football player a second time before coaches and referees were able to jump in and break up the fight - - The 16-year-old was attending the contest with her parents, and she was able to leave the premises with them - - The following morning, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office charged the teen with assault and disorderly conduct - as the Franklin County School systems followed suit, handing down a lifetime trespass ban from all district properties to the girl - - Additionally, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) said the 16-year-old cannot attend Cornersville Middle School athletic events for one year - - After the incident occurred on the field, the coaches and referees came together and decided to call the game early - as South Middle was up 35 to nothing at the time anyways - so there was no sense in continuing to try and determine a winner - - Fortunately, no one was injured during this wild incident, and the Marshall County school district is working to amp up security at middle school football games for the remainder of the season. . .

- Tradition's Finest 2026 College Football Season Preview & Prediction Showcase: Week #5: The SEC Conference: In this week's 'Tradition's Finest College Football Season Preview & Prediction Showcase,' JD & Spencer break down, analyze & preview the SEC Conference for the upcoming 2026-27 college football season, as well as provide their independent/individual predictions regarding a potential "dark horse" contender for the Conference, and which program they predict to win the Conference. . .**NOTE: In next week's episode, JD and Spencer will provide their predictions for the 2026-27 College Football Playoff, as well as projecting their CFB Awards winners. . .Be Sure to Tune In!. . .

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast!

Episode 146 - The "Here Lies the 46 Defense" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: Florida State football will retire Sebastian Janikowski's No.38 jersey on Aug. 29, as the ceremony will take place during the team's college football season opener at Doak Campbell Stadium: kickoff for New Mexico State vs. Florida State is set for 7 p.m. ET. -- **NOTE: Janikowski becomes just the 13th Seminole to have a jersey or number retired, along with some of college football's most legendary players: Deion Sanders, Jameis Winston, Peter Warrick, Derrick Brooks, Chris Weinke, Charlie Ward, Fred Biletnikoff, Terrell Buckley, Warrick Dunn, Ron Sellers, Ron Simmons and Marvin Jones - - College football programs rarely give this honor to a kicker, but Florida State will celebrate Janikowski for good reason - - The Poland native moved to Florida before his sophomore year in high school, and eventually went on to kick for the Seminoles from 1997 through 1999 -- As a freshman, he hit a 56-yard FG against Wake Forest, a school record at the time, whereas as a sophomore, he made 27 FGs and scored a total of 123 points - both of which broke Florida State and ACC single-season records - and he also led the country by making 84.4% of his attempts -- His senior season ended with a 12-0 record and the program's seconds national title: he went 47-for-47 on extra points and led the nation with 23 FGs -- **NOTE: He finished his collegiate career 66-of-83 on FGs with 324 points, and he is still the only two-time winner of the Lou Groza Award, given to college football's best kicker annually -- And because of him, Florida State established himself as "Kicker U," highlighted by the fact that a Seminole has won that award four (4) times, twice since Janikowski's wins, a record for any program - - The Oakland Raiders took the left-footed kicker No.17 overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, as team owner Al Davis made the call, and his own building pushed back, whereas then-HC Jon Gruden and the Raiders' organization were initially "disappointed and angry that Al used a [first-round] pick on a kicker." - - The 6-foot-1, 255-pound kicker spent 17 seasons in Oakland, where he made 414 FGs and scored 1,913 points, both NFL franchise records -- His 63-yarder in 2011 tied an NFL record, and to date, no other kicker has gone in the first round in the 26 drafts since 2000. . .Q: What are your thoughts on Florida State football retiring former kicker Sebastian Janikowski's No.38 jersey during their upcoming season opener versus New Mexico State on August 29th?. . ."A Cease-and-Desist:" An attorney representing Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels has informed LSU that it can no longer use his name, image and likeness, according to an August 5 letter sent to Tigers AD Verge Ausberry, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN on Wednesday -- At the center of the dispute, according to a statement from Daniels' spokesperson to ESPN, is that the Tigers are allowing sophomore CB DJ Pickett to wear the No.5 jersey that Daniels wore when he became LSU's third Heisman Trophy winner in 2023 -- While Daniels' jersey hasn't been retired by the Tigers, it's the first time a player has worn No.5 since he left the program for the NFL -- Pickett wore No.3 during his first season with the Tigers in 2025 when he was named a freshman All-American, as he led LSU with three (3) INTs to go with 37 tackles and one sack in 524 defensive snaps - Pickett was wearing No.5 when the Tigers opened preseason practice last week, leading to questions about why first-year LSU HC Lane Kiffin had allowed the jersey swap to happen -- The No.9 jersey that Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow wore at LSU hasn't been worn since 2019, when he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Tigers to a 15-0 record and College Football Playoff national championship - - Kiffin told reporters Aug. 5 that Pickett had been promised he could wear No.5 when he signed with the Tigers in December 2024: Pickett had worn that number as a high school star in Zephyrhills, Florida, where he was the No.2 CB in the Class of 2025 by ESPN Recruiting -- Former LSU HC Brian Kelly told ESPN on Wednesday that he believed that the No.5 jersey was promised to Pickett during his recruitment, but Kelly chose not to issue it to him because Daniels wasn't on board with Pickett wearing his number, but Kelly was fired on Oct. 26, 2025, after his teams compiled a 34-14 record in four (4) seasons -- DJ Pickett has indicated that he will continue to wear No.5 despite the letter issued to the University per Jayden Daniels' attorney. . .Q: What are your thoughts on Jayden Daniels' cease-and-desist letter indicating that LSU may no longer use his name, image and likeness, after allowing CB DJ Pickett to wear his No.5 jersey?. . .

- NBA - - Don Nelson, aged 86, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, a five-time NBA champion as a player and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, has died, it was announced Sunday -- **NOTE: In 31 seasons as an NBA HC with the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors (twice), New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, Nelson finished with a regular-season record of 1,335-1,063 -- He retired with the most coaching wins ever, a mark that was broken by the San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich in March 2022 - - Nelson made 18 playoff appearances as a coach, finishing with a 75-91 postseason record - and was a three-time winner of the NBA Coach of the Year award (1983, '85, '92) but never won an NBA championship as a coach -- As a player, Nelson won five (5) NBA titles in 11 seasons with the Boston Celtics, who retired his No.19 jersey in 1978 - he played 14 seasons in the league -- Immediately following his playing career, Nelson joined the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach for the 1976-77 season - and only 15 games into that season, he was promoted to HC after Larry Costello was fired -- While at Milwaukee, he used an unorthodox coaching style that became known as "Nellie Ball" to put together a Hall of Fame resume during his 31 seasons: Nellie Ball proved to be ahead of its time, utilizing smaller, more athletic players to fuel a fast-paced offense that prioritized creating mismatches through speed - as it was a philosophy that was adopted across the league long after he retired: Nelson's fast-paced offenses were probably best on display during his first stint in Golden State in the early 1990s - the "Run TMC" era featuring future Hall of Famers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin - as Nelson said he wanted the trio of guards on the court at the same time, a daring idea at the time, that today, is commonplace across the NBA. . ."One-of-One:" Cooper Flagg's coveted one-of-one numbered rookie debut patch autograph card was found in Rhode Island on Monday night -- Members of RhodyBreakers, a division of the Baseball Cards of Rhode Island retail shop that opens boxes of trading cards on a live stream for clients, were on a stream when they pulled the much-sought-after card: The card, which Flagg signed during Fanatics Fest last month, has drawn significant attention - including from the Dallas Mavericks, who offered a "bounty" in exchange for it -- The jersey Flagg wore in the first half of his NBA debut - from which the card's patch is made - sold for $1 million in February -- A similar exclusive card featuring the MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes recently sold for $1.1 million, leading to much speculation that Flagg's card could fetch, at minimum, that much in an auction -- The owner of Flagg's card will be hard-pressed to part with it, but the Mavericks recently made their case with an offer that includes the following: (a) two Mavericks' premium season tickets for the next 32 years, (b) a signed, game-worn Flagg rookie jersey plus a postgame photo with the star, (c) a private photo shoot with the NBA ROTY trophy, (d) an all-expenses paid road trip with the team, and more -- **NOTE: The current highest paid for any Cooper Flagg trading card, to date, is $366,000 in a March 2026 auction. . .Q: Serious question: Are you taking the Dallas Mavericks' offer OR are you holding onto the one-of-one Cooper Flagg rookie debut patch autograph card, to ultimately, sell it to the highest bidder?. . .The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold to Josh Kushner and Bog Iger for $12.5 billion, a record-breaking price, as per multiple sources who informed ESPN of the deal -- The businessmen were involved in the expansion process in Las Vegas, but in a stunning turn, they pivoted to make an aggressive offer to purchase the Lakers from Mark Walter, who purchased a controlling interest in the team from the Buss family last year for a then-record franchise valuation of approximately $10 billion -- Walter, the CEO and chair of diversified holding company TWG Global, has been the Lakers' majority owner since last October when his bid was unanimously approved by the NBA - and similarly, the sale to Kushner & Iger will still need approval from the NBA's Board of Governors, and that process can take up to several weeks - with the next board meeting scheduled to take place next month in New York -- Walter, who built his financial empire in the insurance industry, is under federal investigation for alleged tax fraud by other companies tied to the billionaire, including the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) -- Kushner, 41, founded venture capital firm Thrive Capital and is the co-founder and vice chairman of Oscar Health - Kushner, who is the brother of U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, runs Thrive Eternal, the investment fund to which FIFA wanted to sell a minority stake to run its World Cup tournaments for $4.2 billion, however, primarily due to the controversy surrounding the news, FIFA president Giannis Infantino withdrew that proposal earlier this month -- Kushner holds a minority stake in the Miami Heat and previously was a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies - but he will now be forced to sell his stake in the Heat to clear the way for the Lakers purchase -- Iger, 75, was succeeded this year as Disney CEO by Josh D'Amaro, ending his second term in the role - and in 2024, he along with his wife Willow Bay, became the controlling owner of NWSL team Angel City FC. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers NBA franchise being sold to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking price of $12.5 billion? Did the franchise's decision to cut ties with star LeBron James, as well as its' acquisition of cornerstone Luka Doncic, increase the valuation of the franchise an estimated $2.5 billion?. . ."Why Not. . .Retire?:" Russell Westbrook, who played 18 seasons with seven (7) teams, announced his retirement on social media on Wednesday: "Sometimes you don't even know when you've already watched the end," the 37-year-old Westbrook wrote on his post, which contained a video of his career highlights narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan: "You had to be there. And now it's over." - - Westbrook had offers this offseason with the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards but chose to step away from the game on his own terms, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania, ending one of the most statistically robust careers in league history: After a two-year college career at UCLA, Westbrook was selected No.4 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, but he never played a game in the city - as the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City that summer, and Westbrook quickly emerged into a pillar for what would soon become a perennial contender -- Westbrook spent the bulk of his career - 11 seasons - with the Thunder, teaming up with Kevin Durant and James Harden to lead the Thunder to a Western Conference title in 2012 before losing to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals -- **NOTE: He remains the Thunder's career leader in scoring, assists, rebounds and steals - but due to ill-timed injuries and personnel changes, that famed Thunder team never made it back to the mountaintop, as Harden was traded before the 2012-13 NBA season, Westbrook had a meniscus tear in the first round of the 2013 playoffs, and Durant had a foot fracture that ended their 2015 run -- OKC lost in a dramatic seven-game series to the 73-win Golden State Warriors in the 2016 playoffs, and Durant departed for the Warriors that ensuing summer - but Westbrook remained loyal, signing an extension at a time the organization felt at is most vulnerable, keeping the Thunder relevant in his mid-prime seasons and helping lure Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City -- **NOTE: During the 2016-17 season, he became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to average a triple-double for a full season, putting up 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists to capture the MVP award - as he posted an NBA-record 42 triple-doubles that season - - Westbrook, a nine-time NBA All-Star, has career averages of 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game and holds the NBA record for most career triple-doubles with 209, surpassing Oscar Robertson's long-standing mark of 181 in 2021, which was a record that had stood since 1974 -- The Thunder eventually traded George to the LA Clipper and Westbrook to the Houston Rockets before the 2019-20 season, replenishing their asset base and rebuilding the core of what would become the 2025 NBA champion Thunder team -- Westbrook played for the Rockets, Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers & Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Kings over his final seven (7) seasons in the league, maintaining his durability and production deep into his 30s -- **NOTE: Westbrook retires fifth in NBA history in career assists, behind John Stockton, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd and LeBron James - and he will finish 14th on the NBA's career scoring list with 27,176 points - with the only three (3) active players ahead of him being James and his former teammates, Kevin Durant & James Harden. . .Q: What are your thoughts on Russell Westbrook announcing his retirement from the NBA after an 18-year career? What are your thoughts on the NBA's CBA and its' effect on whether or not older veteran players are signed to a minimum contract and/or presented with a chance to return to the league?. . .

- NFL - - Tempers flared during the Las Vegas Raiders' eighth training camp practice last Friday, as star DE Maxx Crosby hit QB Kirk Cousins twice during the team period - and when Crosby hit Cousins' arm a second time, the 15-year veteran had had enough - as he got into Crosby's face, allegedly grabbing the All-Pro's jersey, while both exchanged words before it was broken up by their fellow teammates -- Cousins and Crosby had to be separated after the fight, at the 37-year-old QB appeared upset that Crosby tipped his pass, forcing an incompletion, and then charged the 6-foot-5, 256-pound DE, who is three (3) inches taller and 42 lbs heavier -- Ahead of training camp, Crosby said the coaching staff warned him about touching the QB - as they are fully aware of the passing and intensity that Crosby brings to practice and knows he can occasionally cross the line - as he has been that way since his collegiate days back at Eastern Michigan -- Raiders HC Klint Kubiak said it's a part of training camp, but he wants his players to be smart when those type of situations occur: Raiders QB Kirk Cousins and DE Maxx Crosby were ultimately suspended from participating in team drills at practice the following Saturday, giving rookie QB Fernando Mendoza his first opportunity in Raiders' training camp to run the starting offense -- The Raiders were then off the following Sunday before returning Monday morning, at which point, Crosby reportedly gave Kirk Cousins love at the Raiders' practice Monday following their on-field scuffle over the weekend. . .Q: What are your thoughts on Las Vegas Raiders veteran QB Kirk Cousins and star DE Maxx Crosby's training camp altercation? What type of impact does you think Cousins standing up to Crosby, despite the obvious size differences, does for the for the offense's cohesiveness going into the 2026-27 NFL regular season?. . .The Minnesota Vikings named Kyler Murray as their starting QB, HC Kevin O'Connell confirmed on Tuesday - as this was the expected conclusion to the team's QB competition despite a rocky series of practices leading up to the decision -- Murray has been the heavy favorite to win the starting job from the moment he signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Vikings on March 12 following his release by the Arizona Cardinals, who still owe him $35.5 million -- The announcement pushes J.J. McCarthy, the No.10 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, to the No.2 or backup role after 10 career starts, and raises questions about his future with the franchise -- The timing of the decision will give Murray a month of full-time practice with the Vikings' starting offense, after splitting reps with McCarthy during the spring and the first two weeks of training camp, before the regular season begins Sept. 13 against the Green Bay Packers -- Regardless of the announcement, both Murray and McCarthy are likely to play in Saturday's preseason game at the New York Giants - - When asked about McCarthy's future with the Vikings' franchise, HC Kevin O'Connell said that he "absolutely" believes that the QB still has a future with the team. . .Q: Are you the slightest bit shocked by the news that Kyler Murray has been named the Vikings' starting QB over J.J. McCarthy?. . .

- Miscellaneous - Little League Baseball: A big shout out is in order for the Phenix City (AL) 12U All-Stars, who for the first time since 1999, are headed to the Little League World Series, after capping an unbeaten run through the Southeast Regional with a 4-0 win over Nolensville (TN) to earn a trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania -- **NOTE: For the first time in more than two decades, a team from the state of Alabama - our home state - will participate in the Little League World Series . . .

2026 College Football Season Preview & Predictions: Week #4: The Big 12 Conference, Group of Five and CFB Independents: In this week's 'Tradition's Finest College Football Season Preview & Prediction Showcase,' JD & Spencer break down & analyze the Big 12 Conference, the Group of Five - which include the Sun Belt Conference, American Athletic Conference (AAC), Mid-American Conference (MAC), Conference USA, and Mountain West Conference - as well as the CFB Independents (i.e., Notre Dame & UConn) for the upcoming 2026-27 College Football season, as well as provide their independent/individual predictions regarding a potential "dark horse" contender for each Conference and which program(s) they predict to win each Conference, and finally, they present their individual predictions on whether or not the Fighting Irish will advance to this year's College Football Playoff. . .**NOTE: In next week's episode, JD & Spencer will preview the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the final week of this year's 'Tradition's Finest College Football Season Preview & Prediction Showcase.' Be Sure to Tune In!

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast!

Episode 145.5 - The "Late-Life Jordan" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: "A Corporate Partnership:" The Ohio State University athletics department is entering a new corporate partnership with JPMorganChase that includes jersey patches for all 36 of the Buckeyes' teams and will yield nearly $17 million per year for the athletics program, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel last week — It is believed to be one of the biggest non-apparel corporate deals in college sports - - **NOTE: The yearly income generated by the worn jersey patches is financially greater than many NBA [i.e., a professional sports entity] jersey patch deals - as OSU's deal also includes NIL opportunities for athletes - - Uniform patches were approved in January by Division I leaders as a means to generate additional income to fund athletic departments that are looking for new ways to pay their players - - In addition to the logos already allowed for the uniform manufacturers, teams can place up to two patches of no more than four (4) square inches on uniforms for regular-season games - - The College Football Playoff has also been looking into how to incorporate additional sponsors (i.e., patches, etc.) for that sports' postseason, and now it seems that the CFP will reap the rewards, much as programs such as Ohio State will, as well. . .Q: What are your thoughts on OSU's corporate partnership with JPMorganChase that will ultimately yield an additional $17 million for the University's athletic department?. . ."Offensive Coordinator of the Game:" The University of Akron Athletics announced a new fan promotion, "Offensive Coordinator of the Game," giving one football season ticketholder the first-ever opportunity to help script the opening drive of the Zips' 2026 season opener at home — The selected fan will work directly with Zips head football coach Joe Moorhead to help design the offensive plays that open the game - a first-of-its-kind experience for the Akron program - - The winner will be selected in a random drawing held on August 19 - as the winning fan will then meet with Moorhead ahead of the season opener to help script the plays for the Zips' opening drive - - Applicants will also receive an extra chance to win with every new season ticket holder they refer. . .Q: If you satisfied the requirements and could enter this contest at Akron, what are you drawing up for the Zips' opening drive: Four (4) Verts? A Hail Mary? A Tush-Push?. . .

- NBA - - "LeBron's Final [Surely. . .Most Likely. . .Quite Possibly] Decision:" LeBron James, after saying he seriously considered retirement from the NBA, is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for his final run at another NBA championship, he announced last Friday - - James, 41, is signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul told ESPN's Shams Charania - - In a series of posts on social media, James addressed his decision-making, writing that he initially thought he was done playing after the 2025-26 NBA season before taking time to decide on his future: "I was honest at the last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game," he wrote — After deciding "I still truly love this game, and I have more to give," James chose the 76ers, committing to a fourth NBA team as he searches for a fifth NBA championship before retirement - - James will hope to break a 43-year championship drought for the 76ers, much the same way he erased a 52-year streak without a title for the city of Cleveland when he led the Cavaliers to an NBA title in 2016 — And, according to James, this will be his final free agency choice as he enters a record-breaking 24th season in the league: "This is my last decision. I'm not going for money. I'm not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point?" James wrote on X. "I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship. I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time." - - Per multiple reports, the Sixers came at James from all angles: President of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who was a Cavaliers' executive during James' second stint in Cleveland, and competed against him when they were high school players in northeastern Ohio, and they remained in constant communication - as well as with Bron's agent, Rich Paul - behind the scenes, sources told ESPN - - Meanwhile, a trio of players - Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and the newly acquired Jaylen Brown, another surprising addition for Philadelphia this offseason - worked on James directly, sources informed ESPN - as that effort was led by Maxey, a fellow Klutch Sports Group client, who has referred to James as a "big brother" in the past - - Shortly after James' announcement was public, Brown posted "#throwtheballup" on X - which is also what he wrote in his introductory note to Philadelphia, and it has already been branded on billboards throughout the city - - Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro even proclaimed Friday [7/24] as LeBron James Day in the state - - James returns to an emergent Eastern Conference that includes two of his former teams that also heavily pursued the four-time MVP this time around: Donovan Mitchell & the Cavaliers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo & the Heat - - As for the Sixers, they went 45-37 last season and lost to the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks 4-0 in the second round of the playoffs -- **NOTE: It has been more than four (4) decades since the Philadelphia 76ers last won an NBA title (1983), and as a franchise, they only have two other conference finals appearances and one other NBA Finals appearance in that particular span: The furthest they have advanced into the postseason with All-Star C Joel Embiid is Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors in 2019, when Kawhi Leonard's fading-out-of-bounds, last-second shot bounced around the rim, prior to ending the Sixers' season in a devastating way - - Following James' announcement, the 76ers' odds moved from 20-1 to +900 to win the 2026 NBA Finals, and from +750 to +370 [essentially, that's an "even money" bet] to win the Eastern Conference at DraftKings Sportsbook - - James' decision puts an end to a free agency frenzy of speculation about his options over the past several weeks, one fueled in part by his agent, Rich Paul, going on a media tour to discuss James' prospects, notably drawing out a list of potential suitors on a whiteboard for an episode of his podcast - - All the hoopla muted the fallout of James' departure from the Los Angeles Lakers after an eight-year run with the NBA franchise - which included the 2020 championship in the bubble, and was his longest consecutive tenure with any team throughout his 23-year NBA career -- James' departure from the Lakers ended the historic pairing in which he got to play alongside his son, Bronny - as Paul, who represents both players - attempted to halt the speculation surrounding Bronny's next steps in the league, by telling ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that "[LeBron and Bronny] are not a package deal," and furthermore, there is no current plan in place and/or request for Bronny James to join his father in the "City of Brotherly Love." . . .Q: On a scale from 1 to 10, how shocked were you to learn that LeBron James had announced that he was joining the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8-million deal? Following an impressive NBA offseason that included the acquisition of former Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, and now LeBron James from Los Angeles, where do the 76ers fall in next year's Eastern Conference race next season? The 2026 NBA Finals? Should Philly be considered "legitimate" NBA title contenders?. . .

- NFL - - Zay Flowers has quickly established himself as the most decorated WR in Baltimore Ravens history, and now, he's the highest-paid WR in franchise history, too: Flowers agreed on a four-year extension with the Ravens on Tuesday, the team announced — The deal for the two-time Pro Bowler is for $140 million and includes $108 million fully guaranteed - both of which are records for a Ravens WR - per his agency, Win Sports Group, who informed ESPN's Adam Schefter - - **NOTE: The average of $35 million annually ties him with Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson as the NFL's fourth-highest paid WR, meanwhile, he becomes the second-highest paid player on the Ravens roster behind QB Lamar Jackson - - The contract extension had been expected after GM Eric DeCosta expressed optimism this offseason that a deal would get done - as Flowers, who was not made available to the media on Tuesday, said in June that he would love to finish his career in Baltimore - - Flowers, who will turn 26 next month, solidified himself as Jackson's most trusted target last season: his 1,211 yards receiving accounted for 36.9% of the Ravens' total receiving yards on the season, which was the second highest share by any player in 2025 behind Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (44.1%) - - **NOTE: In 2024, Flowers become the Ravens' first player to make the Pro Bowl as a WR in the franchise's 29-year history - - He again reached the Pro Bowl last season, when he set career highs with 86 catches for 1,211 yards - as no other Baltimore WR had more than 25 catches or 400 yards in 2025 - - Previously under contract through 2027, now with the contract extension, Flowers is under contract through 2031 - - The No.22 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Boston College, Flowers overcame the knocks on his 5-foot-9, 183-pound frame by totaling 3,128 yards in his first three (3) seasons, which ranks third among WRs from the 2023 Draft, trailing the Rams' Puka Nacua (4,191) and Smith-Njigba (3,551). . .Q: The main question here is. . .Is Zay Flowers' value to the Baltimore Ravens necessarily worth $140 million w/ $108 million guaranteed?. . ."Diggs to WSH?:" Free agent WR Stefon Diggs is set to sign a one-year deal worth up to $12 million with the Washington Commanders, giving the team a proven WR opposite Terry McLaurin, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter - - Diggs strengthens a WR group whose depth had improved from 2025 but was still facing questions at the top, aside from McLaurin - - Diggs, 32, will be joining a new team for the third time in three (3) seasons - as he gives Washington a stronger second option alongside McLaurin, whose string of five (5) consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons was snapped last year due to injury - - Diggs has been voted to the Pro Bowl four (4) times - the last one occurring three (3) years ago, and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2020 when he led the NFL with 127 receptions. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the overall fit of Stefon Diggs in Washington?. . .

- MLB: Trade Deadline - - The Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday added former All-Star left-hander Kris Bubic from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league right-hander Carlos Duran — Bubic is on the 60-day injured list with shoulder and elbow issues, but the Royals had expected him to return in late August, which would put him in line to pitch out of the bullpen for Los Angeles during the start of the MLB playoffs - - He was an All-Star last season, when he went 8-7 with a 2.55 ERA in 20 starts - as he is 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA in nine (9) starts this season - - **NOTE: In seven (7) MLB seasons, all with the Royals, he is 22-38 with a 4.14 ERA and 495 strikeouts in 522 innings - as the 28-year-old lefty, who has been on the IL since May 18, will be a free agent after this season - - Duran, on the other hand, is 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City - - Los Angeles also traded for a pair of catchers in Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia while placing regular starter Dalton Rushing on the injured list, as the Dodgers got Rortvedt for the second year in a row, this time from the New York Mets for right-hander Chayce McDermott — The Dodgers also acquired Feduccia and right-hander Jacob Kmatz from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for OF Jack Suwinski and international bonus pool money. . . .The Boston Red Sox acquired three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, one of three (3) moves the MLB's hottest team made ahead of the MLB trade deadline on Monday — Rutschman, currently on the IL with left wrist inflammation, gives the Red Sox a big bat at a position in need at catcher - but it came at a cost: Top right-handed pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson was part of the return for the Orioles, along with OF prospect Enddy Azocar and another young right-hander in Kyson Witherspoon - - The Orioles will also receive catcher Carlos Narvaez and a player to be named later or cash considerations, while catcher Jake Rogers is also headed to the Red Sox - - Rutschman, who earned his third All-Star nod with the Orioles this season, provides elite defense and has regained his old form at the plate; however, he became expendable in Baltimore when the Orioles signed young slugger Samuel Basallo to a long-term deal prior to this season - - **NOTE: A former No.1 draft pick, Rutschman, 28, is under team control through the 2027 season - and given the rigors of the catching position - this switch-hitter is good at almost everything in the batter's box, with his expected on-base average at the All-Star break being the second-best rate of his career behind only his 5.5-WAR season in 2023 - - The con?: He has been on the injured list three (3) times this season: once with left ankle inflammation (April), after suffering a concussion (June), and with wrist inflammation (July) - - Nonetheless, Rutschman is hitting .251 with eight (8) HRs and 47 RBIs this season - and overall, in his five (5) season in the majors - all spent with Baltimore - he has a career .254 average with 69 HRs and 277 RBIs. . .The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired three-time batting champion Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants in a trade that has the second baseman joining his fifth team in five (5) years - - The Phillies also received right-handed reliever Caleb Kilian in the trade, while the Giants acquired two minor leaguers: top pitching prospect Ramon Marquez and reliever Marty Gair - - Arraez, who is slated to become a free agent following this season, returned to second base with the Giants - and his defense at the position is among the best in the league - but he also has experience at first base, having played there for the San Diego Padres in 2024 and 2025 - but he has made it very clear that he doesn't want to move from second base - - Multiple outlets reported Monday that the Phillies plan to use Arraez as their primary second baseman, meaning multiple other everyday players would potentially have to change positions - Bryston Stott, Philadelphia's current regular second baseman, could shift to third base in a move that could sent Alec Bohm to first base and Bryce Harper to the outfield - - **NOTE: Arraez is having his best offensive season since 2023, hitting .324, which places him at the top of the National League and in second place in the majors behind the Astros' Yordan Alvarez (.330) - with four (4) HRs and 43 RBIs - and though he doesn't bring much over-the-fence power or many walks, nobody is better at putting the ball in play than the four-time All-Star, who will likely lead the MLB with the lowest strikeout rate in the majors for a fifth consecutive season - - He was traded from the Miami Marlins to San Diego back in 2024 - as he won his third straight batting title, with three (3) different teams, by hitting .314 that season - as he left as a free agent after the 2025 season and signed with San Francisco on Feb. 10 of last year. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the MLB trade involving three-time batting champion Luis Arraez between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants?. . .The New York Yankees acquired infielder Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals in exchange for four (4) right-handed pitchers, the teams announced on Sunday — In return, the Nationals received Yovanny Cruz, Jake Bird, Ben Grable and Jack Cebert in the deal - - Garcia, who is under club control through next season, gives the Yankees' scuffling offense a much-needed jolt as it navigates August without Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton — **NOTE: The 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic leads the National League (NL) in slugging percentage (.560) and is batting .283 with a career-high 23 HRs, an .873 OPS and 134 wRC+ in 104 games played this season - - Garcia, who also has a career-high 76 RBIs, is however, not a seamless fit on the Yankees' roster as it is currently constructed: While the Yankees have sought a right-handed hitter on the trade market, Garcia bats left-handed — Defensively, he primarily played second base over his first six (6) seasons before moving to first base this year, meanwhile, the Yankees have Ben Rice & Paul Goldschmidt - a potential Hall of Famer - splitting time between first base and designated hitter, whereas Jazz Chisholm Jr., a two-time MLB All-Star, is entrenched at second base — So, what should the Yankees do?: It's actually quite simple. . . . .The Yankees could have Garcia start against right-handed pitchers either at first base or DH, with Ben Rice occupying the other spot, until Stanton returns from the IL - - Garcia's breakout - as his 18 HRs since June 1 are second in the majors behind Hunter Goodman - helped a Washington offense that has scored the most runs in baseball, fueling a significant step forward in the standings after a 96-loss season in 2025 - but the Nationals, whose staff ERA is 27th in baseball, signaled a willingness to flip major league position players for pitching help last week when they traded third baseman Curtis Mead, whom they acquired from the Chicago White Sox in March after he was designated for assignment, to the Boston Red Sox for left-hander Connelly Early - - **NOTE: By acquiring Luis Garcia Jr. from the Nationals, the New York Yankees now have the second- and third-ranked players in slugging percentage in the MLB this season. . .Q: What overall grade would you give this particular MLB trade between the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees?. . ."A Sku[bal] to the MLB:" For as much as they might have downplayed the possibility behind closed doors, the Los Angeles Dodgers were long seen by rival executives as overwhelming favorites to land generational ace Tarik Skubal - as their farm system was too good, their goals were too lofty, their rotation had become too uncertain — On Saturday night, a day & a half before the MLB trade deadline, they pulled it off: The Dodgers acquired Skubal, the reigning back-to-back American League (AL) Cy Young Award winner, from the Detroit Tigers for a package of three (3) prospects: OF Zyhir Hope and right-handers River Ryan & Brady Smith - - Skubal, a 29-year-old pending free agent, will now headline what was arguably already the best pitching rotation in the sport; Alongside him will be the following pitchers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is making a strong case for a Cy Young of his own, followed by Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow - all of whom are in varying stages of returning to the mound from injury - - **UPDATE: Tarik Skubal didn't have his best stuff in his Los Angeles Dodgers debut on Tuesday evening, but he managed to keep his team in the game, but unfortunately, the Dodgers provided little run support as they dropped their fifth consecutive game and second straight to the Chicago Cubs, in a 5-1 loss. . .

2026 College Football Season Preview & Predictions: Week #3: The Big Ten Conference: In this week's 'Tradition's Finest College Football Season Preview & Prediction Showcase,' JD & Spencer break down & analyze the Big Ten Conference for the upcoming 2026-27 College Football season, as well as provide their independent/individual predictions regarding a potential "dark horse" contender in the Conference and which member they predict to win the 2026-27 Big Ten Conference title/championship, and ultimately receive an automatic berth to this year's College Football Playoff. . .

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast!

Episode 144 - The "Run, Forrest, Run" Episode includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: Curt Cignetti has engineered the turnaround of the century - if not college football history - over the past two seasons at Indiana - but the lone "knock" on Cignetti thus far has been Indiana's lack of elite talent brought in from the recruiting classes — That all changed last Friday when the Hoosiers' HC secured the highest-rated commit in program history with a pledge from a top-rated 2027 WR, and five-star player, Monshun Sales, the No.18 player in the SC Next 300 — The 6-foot-5, 200-pound recruit from Indianapolis is ESPN's No.4 WR prospect in the 2027 cycle — He announced his commitment to the defending national champion Hoosiers over Texas, Alabama, Ohio State and LSU last Friday afternoon during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." - - Sales, the state's No.1 overall high school recruit in 2027, is Indiana's highest-ranked player since eventual All-American Jaylon Smith signed with Notre Dame as ESPN's No.7 overall prospect in the 2013 class - as his commitment represents a seismic milestone in Cignetti's remarkable turnaround following Indiana's storybook run to the school's first football national title in January: Sales joins OLB Jalaythan Mayfield (No.235 overall prospect) and in-state OT, Mason McDermott (No.254) as the third SC Next 300 commit atop the Hoosiers' latest recruiting class — All told, Indiana currently holds pledges from 17 prospects in the cycle - and if Sales ultimately signs with the program later this year, he'll surpass Class of 2022 signee Dasan McCullough (No.43 in the 2022 SC Next 300) as the highest-ranked addition in school history, as Indiana's class now ranks as the No.47 bunch in the country - - Originally from the state of Alabama - where he adopted the nickname "Bama," - Sales is a two-way star at Indianapolis' Lawrence North High School, where he totaled 37 catches for 794 yards and nine (9) TDs as a junior last fall, adding 56 tackles on defense - - He also offers blazing track speed in at an astounding 10.81 in the 100 meters. . .Q: What are your thoughts on Curt Cignetti and Indiana securing its highest-rated recruit ever in five-star WR Monshun "Bama" Sales?. . .Missouri Tigers RB Ahmad Hardy has been medically cleared and is expected to make a full recovery from a gunshot wound to the leg, but his timetable for a return remains unclear, per Tigers' HC Eli Drinkwitz on Monday at the annual SEC Media Days event - - Hardy was shot in the upper leg back on May 10 while attending an outdoor concert at a biker club in his hometown of Laurel, Mississippi — Drinkwitz said Hardy is "on the road to recovery" and is fully healed from from the bullet that struck a bone in his leg - - Drinkwitz also indicated that the star RB's return-to-play protocol could take between five (5) to eight (8) weeks but that there are no guarantees about when Hardy will be able to return, and how he will play and/or his performance following the incident - - **NOTE: Hardy finished second among all FBS players in rushing last year with 1,649 rushing yards, and he scored 16 TDs while helping the Tigers finish the season with an 8-5 record. . .University of Michigan AD Warde Manuel will reportedly step down at the end of the 2026-27 calendar year, the University announced on Monday - - The school also released a summary of an independent investigation into the "culture" of the scandal-plagued AD, which concluded that issuers were not "widespread." - - Manuel, 58, has led the powerhouse program as AD for over a decade, a time for which the program saw numerous national champions [including in college football and men's college basketball] but also NCAA run-ins, legal issues involving assistant football coaches (i.e., Connor Stalions) and the 2025 firing of head football coach Sherrone Moore for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member - - On Monday, it released an outline of the investigation that has already cost nearly $12 million - as it does not plan to release any additional documents, according to a board of regents spokesperson - - While the outline stated that the review identified "a series of structural, policy, and operational recommendations designed to strengthen accountability and organizational effectiveness," Michigan president Domenico Grasso responded by issuing a video statement, in which he was critical of the "culture, conduct, and procedures," of the AD, noting "significant challenges." - - Grasso said the school will empower both its compliance team and Human Resources department and also made mention of strengthening background checks after the review "also identified interference, poor oversight and failures of accountability of the highest levels of university leadership," and furthermore noted, that "this must change.". . .

- MLB - - Nolan Arenado ripped a double down the left-field line for his 2,000th career hit Monday night, joining an elite club that includes some of the greatest players in baseball history - - **NOTE: The 35-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman became one of six (6) major leaguers with at least 2,000 hits, 350 homers and 10 Gold Glove awards — The others are Hall of Famers: Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mayes, Mike Schmidt, Johnny Bench and Al Kaline - as Arenado said it was particularly gratifying to join a small fraternity that includes Schmidt, whom of which he personally considers to be the greatest third baseman to ever play in the league - - Arenado connected on a fastball from Oakland Athletics LHP Jeffrey Springs in the 5th inning of a 5-2 loss and received a lengthy standing ovation from the crowd at Chase Field - - **NOTE: He is one of sic (6) active MLB players who have recorded at least 2,000 hits, joining Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Andrew McCutchen, Paul Goldschmidt and Manny Machado - - The 10-time Gold Glove winner is in his first year with the Diamondbacks after an injury-filled 2025 season with St. Louis - - He was batting .244 with 13 HRs and a .739 OPS leading into Monday's game - - Arenado played his first eight (8) seasons with the Colorado Rockies before spending the next five (5) with the Cardinals - - Considered by many to be one of the greatest third baseman of his generation, the eight-time MLB All-Star has a .280 career batting average with 366 homers and 1,228 RBIs. . .The Boston Red Sox won their 15th straight game to match a club record for the longest winning streak in team history from 80 years ago, beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 in the opener of a split doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon - - They equaled the 1946 American League champs, who were led by future Hall of Famer Ted Williams: Jarren Duran had a two-run triple and a sacrifice fly, and Calen Durbin - who hit a tiebreaking HR when they posted their 14th straight victory on Monday - chipped in with a two-run single - - Ceddanne Rafaela added a solo HR for Boston in a makeup from Tuesday' rainout - - Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a solo homer for Baltimore, his second in two games, meanwhile, Red Sox rookie left-hander Jake Bennett (6-3) worked 5 2/3 innings, giving up three (3) runs - but unfortunately, he took a 102.5 mph hit ball off the stomach from Taylor Ward in the 5th, but he did remain in the game after being checked by a trainer - - **NOTE: Aroldis Chapman got the final three (3) outs for his 23rd save and 390th of his career, tying Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley for nine (9) all time - - Baltimore then turned the tables on Boston: as the Orioles ended the Red Sox' franchise-record-tying 15-game winning streak behind Kyle Bradish's six (6) innings of one-run ball, defeating Boston 5-1 in the nightcap of a doubleheader on Wednesday - - It was Boston's first loss since a 10-2 game contest against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park on July 1. . .

- NBA - - "Curry's HOF Exhibit:" The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will launch a new exhibit this weekend dedicated to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, representing the first time in the nearly 75-year history than an active player will be honored within the walls with a dedicated exhibit: The exhibit, titled "Stephen Curry: Beyond the Arc," will open to the public in Springfield, MA on Friday, as it will include Olympic and championship artifacts, game-worn gear and archival footage of Curry's journey from an unheralded prospect to a decorated four-time NBA champion - - Curry is about to enter his 18th professional season in the NBA and has stated that he intends to play at least two more - and he is expected to engage in extension talks with the Warriors once he becomes eligible in late August. . .Q: Are you surprised that Stephen Curry is the first player to receive such an honor, even prior to LeBron James?. .

- Miscellaneous - - PGA: Ryan Fox, 39, of New Zealand survived a wild ride along the back nine (9) at Royal Birkdale and delivered the biggest putt of his life Sunday, making a 12-foot birdie on the 18th (and final) hole to win The Open Championship for his first major title, closing with a 2-under 68 (-2) - - Needing a birdie on the final hole to avoid a playoff with clubhouse leader Cameron Young, Fox hit his approach shot from 175 yards out - and as the ball flex in the blue English sky toward the green, Fox yelled "Be right!". . .It was: The ball stopped 11 ½ feet from the hole - - After his playing partner, Sam Burns, putted out for par, Fox drained the birdie putt to win the Claret Jug - - Four (4) players had a share of the lead at some point Sunday: Cameron Young was atop the leaderboard for two hours without hitting a single shot because he finished his astonishing 6-under 64 when the leaders were on the front nine (9) - - Fox never lost hope, even after a pair of bogeys on the back nine (9), and the 39-year-old son of an All Blacks rugby player delivered the goods when it counted, as he birdied the 16th to tie Young for the lead, and then made birdie on the toughest hole (72nd) to become just the third Kiwi to win a PGA major - - Fox's sterling moment brought more disappointment for Young, as the American also finished one shot behind in The Open at St. Andrews four (4) years ago, and he had a Sunday lead on the front nine (9) at the Masters until Rory Mcllroy overtook him - - Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader, who was never planning to be at The Open until his wife gave birth to their daughter earlier than expected, lost a two-shot lead and didn't make a birdie over the last 12 holes to finish two shots behind on the leaderboard - - Defending Open champion Scottie Scheffler somehow managed to stick around until the end, getting two bad bounces that cost him momentum, then getting one big break for a most improbable birdie but failing to birdie the 18th - as he closed with a 67 and tied for fourth place with hometown star, Tommy Fleetwood, who fell back early but thrilled the thousands packed along the dunes with a birdie-birdie finish for a final score of 68 - - Missing from the drama, remarkably, was Bryson DeChambeau: he lost a golf ball and made triple bogey on the 11th hole and didn't make a birdie until he was well out of contention - as the two-shot penalty he received earlier on Friday for improving the path of his swing wasn't an issue at the end - DeChambeau shot a 72 and tied for 14th - - Fox won for the 10th time worldwide, his biggest title before Sunday coming at the BMW PGA Championship in 2023 -- **NOTE: Fox is the oldest first-time major champion since Henrik Stenson was 40 at Royal Troon ten years ago. . .Q: What are your thoughts on Ryan Fox's performance to win The Open Championship for his first PGA major title?. . . 2026 FIFA World Cup Recap: Third-Place/Bronze Medal Match: England vs. France - - England beat France 6-4 in a chaotic third-place World Cup playoff match last Saturday in Miami - as the finish was England's best at a World Cup since 1966 - - The first half saw Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa score before Bukayo Saka added a rapid-fire brace, completing his hat-trick from the spot three (3) minutes from time - - After the restart, France got going as Kylian Mbappe's brace made him the all-time leading goalscorer at the tournament, as Bradley Barcola contributed another to make it 4-3 before conceding a penalty which Saka converted – **NOTE: Mbappe moved past Lionel Messi for the career World Cup scoring record, scoring twice for France in the third-place match against England to reach 22 goals - - Mbappe has 10 goals in this World Cup, two more than Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament's top scorer - - France trailed England 4-0 when Mbappe flicked a shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute – Then he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th minute to pass Messi's career mark of 21 goals - as France pulled within 4-3 on Mbappe's second goal: **NOTE: The 6-4 result marked the most goals in a World Cup game since 1982 [Hungary 10-1 over El Salvador] and the most goals for a third-place game - - An occasion that started with boos for the heavily-criticized manager Thomas Tuchel ended in a breathless bronze medal, with the wounds from the prior Wednesday's semifinal collapse to Argentina still raw - - Substitute Bradley Barcola scored the other and Le Bleus continued to pepper England's goal as Tuchel stared down the barrel of even greater humiliation than three (3) days prior - - But this England just held out: Saka scored a late penalty to complete his treble and substitute Jude Bellingham kept his cool after Ousmane Dembele's earlier stoppage-time strike. . .2026 FIFA World Cup Final: Spain vs. Argentina - - Ferran Torres clinched Spain's second men's World Cup title with an extra-time winner against reigning world champions Argentina in a bad-tempered final marred by Enzo Fernández's red card for a reckless foul on Pau Cubarsí - - Barcelona forward Torres, a 62nd-minute substitute for Mikel Oyarzabal, sealed a 1-0 win Sunday for the European champions when he struck from close range in the 106th minute his first goal of this year's World Cup - - By that stage, Argentina had been reduced to 10 players at New York/New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) following the dismissal of Chelsea midfielder Fernández after his foul on Cubarsí in the third minute of second-half stoppage time that left referee Slavko Vincic with no option but to issue a second yellow card and a red to the 2022 World Cup winner - - Spain had dominated the game and created numerous scoring opportunities without being able to convert - as Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez finished with 11 saves, the most in a World Cup final - - Spain's dominance was such that Argentina did not register their first shot until Lionel Messi had an attempt blocked in the 117th minute – **NOTE: The 39-year-old Messi, who became the first man to start three World Cup finals and the oldest outfield player to start a final, finished the tournament with eight (8) goals, two behind France's Kylian Mbappé in the battle for the Golden Boot – Though he has yet to confirm his future plans, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner probably has finished his World Cup career with 21 goals, one behind Mbappé - - **NOTE: Argentina, aiming to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, were unable to match up to Spain, with even Inter Miami star Messi failing to trouble Luis de la Fuente's team - - Spain resisted late Argentina pressure to win the game and their first World Cup since defeating Netherlands in South Africa in 2010: "When you have Messi on the other side, well, you are nervous," Torres said. "At the end of the day, we always depended on us. We always come up with our football, and we showed it again." - - **NOTE: The Spanish finished the World Cup with only one goal allowed, the fewest for a World Cup winner despite playing more games (8) than any previous champion – The win made de la Fuente, at 65, the oldest coach to lead a team to the World Cup title: "We are world champions," de la Fuente said. "It was together we reached this stage. I feel pride, to be honest. Accompanying my players on this journey is an honor." **NOTE: As well as a second World Cup title, Spain's win extended their unbeaten streak to 38 games in all competitions (29-9-0 W-D-L), breaking a tie with Italy (2018-21) for the longest by a men's national team - - They are the third reigning European champions to win the World Cup title, matching the Spain team of 2008-10 and 1972-74 West Germany - - "Once we finished the game, I had a group of footballers who said, "Coach, what else is there to win, we have won everything, in every category?" De la Fuente added. "We came to the conclusion that what remains is the next match in September [against England at Wembley] because this team is relentless." - - **NOTE: It was the 104th and last match of the biggest World Cup, a 48-team event that played out in the U.S., Canada and Mexico – Because there were more matches than any previous World Cup, it was no surprise that there were more goals than all other editions -- 307 and counting entering Sunday - - The spectacle was not limited to simply soccer. . .Q: What were your thoughts on this year's and/or the 2026 World Cup?. . .

- 2026 College Football Season Preview & Predictions PT. 2: ACC Conference: In Week Two of our 'Tradition's Finest College Football Season Preview & Prediction Showcase,' JD & Spencer discuss the history of the ACC Conference, provide a full breakdown & season outlook for the league, as well as to provide their individual predictions regarding a potential "dark horse" contender in the Conference and which member they predict to win the 2026-27 ACC Conference title/championship. . .

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast!

Episode 143 - "The Pop'a Big Perk Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics:

- NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Basketball: The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame has announced its' Class of 2026, honoring three (3) legendary players and three (3) iconic coaches whose collegiate careers represent the highest levels of achievement in the history of the game: The class includes national championship coaches Jay Wright (led Villanova to two national titles in 2016 & 2018) and Tubby Smith (led Kentucky to a national title in 1998), longtime Kansas HC Ted Owens (1964-1983), BYU superstar Danny Ainge, Michigan scoring ace Glen Rice and the late UCLA legend Walt Hazzard - - Each induction class is selected by the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee, comprised of college basketball executives & respected leaders around the country, and administered by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Foundation - - The Class of 2026 will be formally enshrined during the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, presented by UMB Private Wealth Management on Oct. 22 at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, Missouri - - **NOTE: This year marks the 20th class to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, as it started in 2006 with a historic group of honorees, featuring John Wooden, Dean Smith, Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026?. . .NCAA College Football: Florida State is hiring former Texas, Houston & Florida Atlantic (FAU) HC Tom Herman to its coaching staff for the upcoming 2026 season, a source confirmed to ESPN on Monday, whereas a second source later informed the network, that Herman will serve as an assistant to Seminoles' HC Mike Norvell [and so, basically, it appears the "Gus Malzahn" experiment didn't work out, so they have selected Tom Herman to potentially become FSU's interim coach if the wheels fall off the Florida State football program this season under Norvell] - - Herman, 51, coached in 2024 with Florida Atlantic, when he was fired shortly before the end of his second season - - He went 54-20 with Houston and then Texas, recording top-10 finishes in 2015 (Houston) and 2017 (Texas), and went 6-16 at FAU - - Herman spent 2021 as an offensive analyst with the Chicago Bears in the NFL, but he hasn't served as a college assistant since a three-year run as Ohio State's OC from 2012 to 2014 under HC Urban Meyer: Herman built his profile as an offensive play-caller, holding coordinator roles with such programs as Texas State, Rice and Iowa State, prior to his arrival in Columbus, where he won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant in 2014, when the Buckeyes went on to win the national championship with a third-string QB (i.e., Cardale Jones) - - While Tim Harris Jr. was promoted to the OC role following Malzahn's departure; HC Mike Norvell is set to reclaim his offensive play-calling duties this season. . .Q: Could Tom Herman be FSU's "coach-in-waiting" (aka, an interim coach) in the event that Mike Norvell and the Seminoles do not have a successful 2026-27 College Football season?. . .

- MLB - - Regardless of how his name is pronounced, Roch Cholowsky has a new title: No.1 pick — Cholowsky, the standout UCLA shortstop, was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the top overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, and was expected to sign a record-setting bonus - - While the White Sox debated between Cholowsky and Texas high school SS Grady Emerson - who was selected with the No.2 pick by the Tampa Bay Rays - they opted for a player who by next season could join their suddenly ascendant major league franchise - - Cholowsky has agreed to a contract with the Chicago White Sox that includes a record-breaking $10.35 million signing bonus after being selected with the No.1 overall pick in last weekend's amateur draft, sources confirmed to ESPN amid multiple reports, whereas the slot value for the top pick this year was $11.35 million — Cholowsky's record-setting signing bonus tops the previous mark of $9.25 million for the amateur draft that belonged to Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns and Colorado Rockies prospect Charlie Condon, two of the top three (3) selections in the 2024 MLB Draft - - Cholowsky, a 6-foot-2 SS, who turned 21 in April, hit .320 with 21 HRs, 60 RBIs, and a 1.088 OPS in 60 games this season for UCLA: **NOTE: Cholowsky played for the Bruins for three (3) seasons, batting .329 with 52 homers, 167 RBIs and a 1.072 OPS in 178 games played - as he ranks among the school's career leaders in homers, runs scored, on-base percentage and RBIs - - Meanwhile and despite losing a major-league record 121 games in 2024, the White Sox didn't pick until No.10 overall last year because of anti-tanking rules, however, they won the draft lottery in December, and the pick of Cholowsky was viewed as something of a foregone conclusion until he put up numbers below expectations in Big Ten play, with an OPS nearly 275 points lower than in non-conference games - - Regardless, Cholowsky's .320/.452/.636 line with 21 HRs and 60 RBIs followed a sophomore season in which he hit .353/.480/.710 with 23 HRs and 74 RBIs, which was plenty impressive enough for the White Sox to make him their first No.1 overall pick since Hall of Famer Harold Barnes in 1977. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Chicago White Sox selecting Roch Cholowsky with the No.1 overall pick in this year's MLB Draft?. . .2026 Home Run Derby: St. Louis Cardinals OF Jordan Walker staged a dramatic finish on Monday night, hitting six (6) consecutive HRs in the final round to stun the Phillies faithful, becoming the first player in Cardinals' franchise history to take the Derby crown: Walker hit 12 HRs in the final round to Kyle Schwarber's 11, and won it with a 407-foot blast to left field [where his parents were seated in the stands] - - The 2026 Home Run Derby made its Netflix debut on Monday night, and delivered in a big way thanks to St. Louis Cardinals slugger Jordan Walker, who completed an epic comeback on his final swing, blasting four (4) homers to spoil the hometown favorite, Schwarber, and Phillies' fans at Citizens Bank Park - - Not only did Walker become the first Cardinals player in MLB history to win the Derby, he is also the second-youngest player of all time to claim the crown (24) - - He also got to take home a cool $1 million for his efforts, while Schwarber earned $500,000 as the runner-up -- **NOTE: Interestingly, Walker's HR Derby prize of $1 million is more than his 2026 MLB salary of $799.4k - - Schwarber beat Willson Contreras in the semifinal round to advance, while Walker outlasted Junior Caminero - - Another Philadelphia hopeful, 1st baseman Bryce Harper, was eliminated in the first round when he hit only eight (8) HRs - and joined Jac Caglianone (8), Munetaka Murakami (9), and Ben Rice (7) on the sideline - - Players seemed to like the new format, however, which allowed for 20 untimed swings in the first round, 15 in the semifinals and 15 more in the final: Walker hit a total of 31 HRs, which was the same number than Kyle Schwarber, the runner-up, hit under this new Derby format. . .Q: What are your thoughts on Jordan Walker being crowned the 2026 Home Run Derby Champion, and the first St. Louis Cardinals' player ever to achieve this particular feat?. . .2026 MLB All-Star Game: In a year when MLB pitchers throwing unhittable 100 mph fastballs have generated many of baseball's headlines, the story of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game was that there are many ways to dominate the 60 feet, 6 inches between the pitcher's rubber & homeplate: Eleven (11) American League (AL) pitchers combined to allow three (3) hits and strike out 15 National League (NL) batters in a 4-0 victory Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, the AL's fourth shutout in All-Star play - - This was arguably the most impressive team pitching performance in All-Star Game history, with the 15 K's being one short of the nine-inning record and the three (3) hits allowed tying for the second fewest - in fact, there was only one triple-digit pitch thrown the entire game for the American League - - New York Yankees teammates Cody Bellinger & Ben Rice, both left-handed batters, delivered RBIs to give the AL a quick 3-0 lead before Phillies fans could finish their Philly Cheesesteaks - which was a bit of a rarity for hometown/Philadelphia (or NL) pitcher Cristopher Sanchez, who allowed a .137 average to lefty's in the first half - - **NOTE: Bellinger earned MVP honors for his two-out, two-run single, whereas Rice followed with an RBI single, the first time since 1962 that two Yankees had an RBI in an MLB All-Star Game. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the AL's dominant pitching performance, and 4-0 shutout victory over the NL in Tuesday night's MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia?. .

- NFL - - RB Alvin Kamara will play for the New Orleans Saints in 2026 on a reworked contract, his agent confirmed to the NFL Network on Wednesday afternoon - - Kamara's restructured deal will pay him a base salary of $6 million this season with a chance to make up to $8.5 million with incentives, per Ian Rapoport - - Kamara had been set to make up to $11.5 million in base salary this season, although the Saints re-negotiated his contract for salary cap purposes in early March - in addition, $3 million of that salary became guaranteed last year - - Kamara's future was a point of speculation before the Saints signed former Jacksonville Jaguars RB, Travis Etienne Jr. to a four-year, $12 million per year contract, and questions began to circulate as to whether the Saints would be willing to retain both RBs - as Kamara addressed rumors of a potential trade last October by saying that he would not want to play anywhere but New Orleans - - Kamara's age [he turns 31 before the start of NFL training camp, which begins later this month] has been one reason for the speculation, but he also is coming off a season in which he had career lows in rushing yards (471), receiving yards (186) and total TDs (1) - and he has finished the past two seasons on the IR list. . .Q: What do you think about the New Orleans Saints' restructured deal with veteran RB Alvin Kamara? Was it a smart move for the franchise to was it time for the Saints to move on?. . .

- NBA - - "Heat's Ablazing:" Former Miami Heat teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro got into a physical altercation in Las Vegas last Friday morning, during which Adebayo struck Herro in the head area, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania - - The altercation occurred at a practice court in a Las Vegas hotel, according to sources - and it reportedly started when Adebayo approached Herro about comments the guard has previously made, critiquing the center on social media after their seven-year run as teammates in Miami ended when Herro was traded to Milwaukee - - Herro was seated courtside at the Thomas & Mack Center for last Friday's Summer League game between the Heat and Bucks - and he was interviewed during the game on the Prime broadcast prior to the news of the altercation with Adebayo broke - - After Herro was traded to Milwaukee, there were screenshots shared online of an Instagram direct message with a fan in which Herro appeared to question Adebayo's defensive prowess, with many speculating that this was in reaction to Adebayo signing a three-year, $166 million extension with Miami back in June 2024 - as the alleged comments by Herro in the DM questioned whether Adebayo's effort on defense on a nightly basis was worthy of someone who makes $60 million annually - - Bucks guard Tyler Herro said he wants to "move on" from his physical altercation with former teammate Bam Adebayo last week in Vegas and is "focused on the next chapter in Milwaukee.". . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Tyler Herro-Bam Adebayo physical altercation that occurred last week shortly after the Heat-Bucks trade that sent Giannis to Miami and Herro back to his hometown of Milwaukee? - - **UPDATE: The NBA will not punish the Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo for striking former teammate Tyler Herro at a Las Vegas gym last Friday, a league spokesperson told ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday. . .

- Miscellaneous - - 2026 FIFA World Cup Recap: In this particular segment, JD & Spencer review & analyze the semifinal round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in particular the outcome for the matches between France-Spain and Argentina-England, preview the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, discuss the viral photograph (2007) depicting the first time Lionel Messi & Lamine Yamal crossed paths, and finally, provide their individual prediction for the final match of this year's World Cup. . .UFC 329: The long-awaited return of Conor McGregor ended with a whimper as the UFC superstar injured his right leg in the opening seconds of his fight with Max Holloway and was forced to retire in the first round of their main event bout at UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena - and after which point, Holloway was awarded an underwhelming TKO victory after the welterweight fight was waved off at 1 minute & 9 seconds - - It was a stunning development in the highly anticipated rematch nearly 13 years after their first meeting, which McGregor won despite tearing his ACL - but he wouldn't be so lucky this time around - as McGregor appeared to be injured when he charged toward Holloway and landed awkwardly on his right leg after attempting a jump kick right as the fight started - as McGregor fell to his back and absorbed some ground & pound from Holloway - - The Irish fighter would make it to his feet, but fell to the canvas again moments later, favoring his right leg - and he would get to his feet again but was clearly compromised, forcing the referee to call the fight off, as Holloway said he urged the referee to stop the fight - - A disheveled McGregor immediately exited the ring, skipping his post-fight Octagon interview to discuss the nature of his injury - as he took to social media later Saturday and denied speculation he was injured prior to the onset of the fight: It was an unfortunate conclusion to the return of UFC's biggest star, as McGregor, 37, had spent five (5) years away from the Octagon, as he was recovering from a broken leg and fighting off lawsuits. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the unfortunate ending of UFC 329? How pissed/upset would be if you had paid a significant amount of money to either attend or access this fight just for this outcome?. . .

- Tradition's Finest Annual College Football Preview & Prediction Showcase: PAC-12 Conference: In this year's 'Tradition's Finest College Football Season Preview & Prediction Showcase,' JD & Spencer discuss the history of the PAC-12 Conference, analyze a full breakdown & season outlook for the league, discuss a few of the potential breakout players in the Conference - as well as to provide their individual predictions regarding a potential "dark horse" contender in the Conference and which member they predict to win the 2026-27 PAC-12 Conference title/championship. . .